quão
Portuguese edit
Etymology edit
From Old Galician-Portuguese quan, from Latin quam.
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
quão (not comparable)
- how (to what degree)
- quão grande ― how big
Usage notes edit
- In Brazil, use of this adverb in questions is somewhat formal. Such questions are more commonly expressed with semantically equivalent nouns, or with ter (“to have”) and a unit of measure:
- quão grande era o peixe? (“how big was the fish?”) → qual era o tamanho do peixe? (“what was the size of the fish?”)
- quão velho é seu pai? (“how old is your father?”) → qual é a idade do seu pai? (“what is the age of your father?”) quantos anos tem o seu pai? (literally “how many years does your father have?”)
Preposition edit
quão