o que é isso?
/ˈɔ ki ˈɛ ˈi.su/word by word
The phrase "what is this?" is translated into Portuguese as o que é isso?
O que é isso? is used to ask for the identity or name of an object. It is the most common and neutral way to ask "What is this?" in Portuguese.
Which one should you use?
While o que é isso? is common, o que é isto? uses the pronoun isto, which is the grammatically precise choice for an object that is physically close to the speaker. If the object is far away from both the speaker and the listener, use o que é aquilo? to mean "what is that over there?" instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In European Portuguese, you may hear the phrase O que é isto? In Brazilian Portuguese, some people might say O que é isso, gente? to create a friendlier tone.
How does it change in a sentence?
In casual conversation, speakers often shorten the phrase to o que é? when the object of reference is already understood.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈɔ ki ˈɛ ˈi.su/. The first of the four syllables is stressed.
Did you know?
- The word que in this phrase is a distant relative of the English word 'who'.
- In Portuguese, there are three different words for 'this' or 'that' depending on the exact physical distance between the speaker and the object.
- The word é in this phrase is a direct descendant of the Latin word est, which is also the root of the English word 'state'.
Examples in context
- O que é isso aí?What is this?
- Desculpe, mas o que é isso?Sorry, but what is this?
Example conversation
Camila and Rodrigo are looking at a strange object in a living room.
- CamilaRodrigo, o que é isso?Rodrigo, what is this?
- RodrigoÉ um presente para a minha mãe.It is a gift for my mother.
- CamilaParece muito estranho.It looks very strange.
- RodrigoEu também acho.I think so too.
