Parent note

Practice a máquina de lavar

Practice the word with its article: a máquina de lavar, washing machine. In European Portuguese, the article 'a' helps show that máquina de lavar is feminine singular.

English
washing machine
Say together
a máquina de lavar
Gender cue
'a' = feminine singular
Plural
as máquinas de lavar

Portuguese nouns have grammatical gender. The article is included here so children learn the sound of the word and its gender pattern together, instead of treating the article as an extra grammar detail later.

There are useful patterns, but gender is not perfectly predictable from spelling and there are edge cases. The dictionary links below are there for adults who want to check the full entry, grammar details, or pronunciation notes.

Sources

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Words in context Storybook Simple stories help learners hear familiar vocabulary inside phrases, scenes, and routines. See the storybook Quiet screen-free practice Coloring book Portuguese vocabulary meets calm coloring time, with friendly visuals that help the words stick. See the coloring book Structured practice Workbook series Step-by-step vocabulary, tracing, matching, and review pages that pair naturally with the pronunciation pages. See the workbooks