Portuguese Phrase
Os dois têm suas vantagens.
Meaning
The sentence means “Both have their advantages.” It is used to acknowledge that each of two options, people, or things possesses its own set of positive aspects.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are comparing two alternatives and want to point out that each one brings something good to the table, often before discussing the drawbacks of each.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Osdoistêmsuasvantagens.
Os (definite article, plural)
Used before masculine plural nouns to specify 'the'.
dois (cardinal number)
Means 'two' and agrees in gender with the noun it modifies.
têm (verb ter, 3rd person plural)
Present indicative of 'ter' for plural subjects; note the tilde on the 'e' indicating nasalization.
suas (possessive adjective, feminine plural)
Matches the gender and number of the noun 'vantagens' (feminine plural).
vantagens (noun, feminine plural)
Means 'advantages' or 'pros'.
🗨In Conversation
Qual carro devo comprar, o sedan ou o SUV?
Which car should I buy, the sedan or the SUV?
Os dois têm suas vantagens.
Both have their advantages.
✕Common Mistakes
Os dois tem suas vantagens.
‘Tem’ is singular; the subject ‘os dois’ is plural, so the correct form is ‘têm’.
Os dois têm seus vantagens.
‘Seus’ is masculine; the noun ‘vantagens’ is feminine, so the correct possessive is ‘suas’.
↔Alternatives
Ambos têm suas vantagens.
Both have their advantages.
Cada um tem seus pontos fortes.
Each one has its strong points.
Cada opção tem seus benefícios.
Each option has its benefits.
Cultural Tip
In Brazilian Portuguese, the verb ‘ter’ in the third‑person plural is pronounced with a nasal diphthong (/tẽj/). Also, the possessive ‘suas’ must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies; using ‘seus’ here would be incorrect because ‘vantagens’ is feminine.