João Pessoa

1 8.4

A city in northeast Brazil by the Atlantic Ocean and capital of the state of Paraíba

proper noun
/ʒoʊˈɑʊ pəˈsoʊ/

: João Pessoa

The beautiful beaches of João Pessoa attract many tourists each year.

Examples

The conference will be held in João Pessoa next year, attracting visitors from around the world.
After visiting Recife, we traveled north to explore João Pessoa.
João Pessoa is beautiful.
João Pessoa is warm!
The beautiful beaches of João Pessoa attract many tourists each year.
After visiting Recife, we traveled north to explore João Pessoa.
The conference will be held in João Pessoa next year, attracting visitors from around the world.

Surface Forms

João Pessoa main

Morphology

João + Pessoa

This is a toponym (a proper name) whose referential meaning (a city) is not compositionally derived from its parts. Even if a learner recognised 'João' and 'Pessoa' as personal-name elements (or knew Portuguese meanings), that would not reliably indicate this is the name of a city, so the expression is not transparent.

Etymology

João Pessoa is named after a man called João Pessoa, so the two words are really a person's name. That's why when people say João Pessoa they mean the coastal city that is the capital of Paraíba in Brazil.