Portuguese Phrase
E o sistema de som?
Meaning
Literally 'And the sound system?', this phrase is used to ask about the audio equipment after other items have been discussed. It can refer to a car stereo, home theater, or any setup that produces sound.
When to use
Use this question when you want to know the status, quality, or presence of a sound system, for example after talking about lighting, seating, or other technical gear at an event or in a vehicle.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Eosistemadesom?
Conjunction E
E (pronounced /i/) is the coordinating conjunction meaning 'and', used to add another item or question.
Definite article o
o is the masculine singular definite article, matching the gender of 'sistema'.
Noun sistema
sistema is a masculine noun meaning 'system' and takes the article 'o'.
Preposition de
de links nouns to indicate possession or composition, here 'of sound'.
Noun som
som is a masculine noun meaning 'sound' or 'audio'.
Question intonation
Even without a question word, the rising intonation at the end turns the statement into a question.
🗨In Conversation
Já verificamos a iluminação e o projetor.
We've already checked the lighting and the projector.
E o sistema de som?
And the sound system?
✕Common Mistakes
É o sistema de som?
Using 'É' (is) changes the meaning to a statement 'It is the sound system?' instead of a conjunction 'And'.
E sistema de som?
Dropping the article 'o' makes the phrase sound incomplete; Portuguese normally requires the article before singular nouns.
↔Alternatives
E o equipamento de áudio?
And the audio equipment?
E o sistema de áudio?
And the audio system?
E o som?
And the sound?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, 'sistema de som' most often refers to a car's audio setup or a portable party speaker system. The phrase is informal; in a formal setting you might say 'E o equipamento de áudio?'. Also, Brazilians tend to raise the pitch sharply at the end of the sentence to signal a question.