How to use prepositions of place in Brazilian Portuguese?

Prepositions of place are used in Brazilian Portuguese to build phrases that describe the location of a noun in relation to something else. In Brazilian Portuguese, the most common prepositions of place are a (meaning at, on, in), em (meaning in, on), and entre (meaning between, among), but some other phrases, like em frente de (meaning in front of), emcima de (meaning on), acima de (meaning above), emaixo de (meaning under), and debaixo de (meaning beneath) can also be used in a similar way. These longer phrases are called “compound prepositions of place.”

In this post, we’ll take you through all the most common prepositions of place in Brazilian Portuguese and discuss when and how to use each one. Ready to go? Keep reading!

The preposition a (meaning in, on, at) can be used in certain phrases that describe the general location of something or someone.

• Eles estão sentados à mesa.

  Translation: They are sitting at the table.
• Eles estão sentados ao sol.

  Translation: They are sitting in the sun.

We only use a as a preposition of place in a few situations. One of the most common uses of a for place is before the words direita (meaning right) and esquerda (meaning left) to indicate a position in space (as in the second example below).

We can also say do lado direito (meaning on the right side) or do lado esquerdo (meaning on the left side) to indicate a position in the space:

• O banheiro fica do lado direito.

  Translation: The bathroom is on the right side.
• O banheiro fica do lado esquerdo.

  Translation: The bathroom is on the left side.

Em (meaning in, at, on) is one of the most-used prepositions of place in Brazilian Portuguese, and it appears in three major contexts: to give a general location, to say that something is “inside” something else, or to say that something is on the surface of something else.

• Eu estou no escritório.

  Translation: I am at the office.

  general location
• As crianças estão na sala ao lado.

  Translation: The kids are in the next room.

  inside
• Ele está sentado na cadeira.

  Translation: He is sitting on the chair.

  on the surface

In the sections below, we’ll go through these uses one-at-a-time.

• Using ‘em’ + general location

  We use em before someone or something’s general location, such as the city, country, or establishment (shops, businesses, homes etc.) where it can be found.

  • Ele mora em Barcelona.

    Translation: He lives in Barcelona.
  • Ela mora na Itália.

    Translation: She lives in Italy.
  • Nós estamos na Ana.

    Translation: We are at Ana’s (house).

  Notice that not every location that follows em will have a definite article before it, so we sometimes use the contracted and sometimes use the uncontracted forms. Here are the rules:

  • Use no, na, nos, nas (em + definite article) with countries or with generic places (shops, establishments, houses, etc.)

    Countries	Generic Places
    na Itália Translation: in Italy nos Estados Unidos Translation: in the United States	Ele está na praia. Translation: He is at the beach. Eu estou no supermercado. Translation: I am at the supermarket.

  • Use em (with no article) with cities and to refer to your own house.

    Cities	Your House
    Eu moro em Nova Iorque. Translation: I live in New York. Eu moro em São Paulo. Translation: I live in São Paulo.	Eu estou em casa. Translation: I am at home.

• Using ‘em’ to mean “in” or “inside”

  You can use em to mean “in” or “inside” when one object is physically surrounded by another:

  • Os livros estão na caixa.

    Translation: The books are inside the box.
  • O frango está no forno.

    Translation: The chicken is in the oven.

• Using ‘em’ to mean “on the surface of”

  You can use em to mean “on” in the sense that something is “on the surface” of something else, touching it.

  • O vaso está na mesa.

    Translation: The vase is on the table.
  • A almofada está no sofá.

    Translation: The cushion is on the sofa.

Entre is used in Brazilian Portuguese to mean both “between” and “among.”

• A sala fica entre a cozinha e o quarto.

  Translation: The living room is between the kitchen and the bedrooms.
• O criminoso está entre os inocentes.

  Translation: The criminal is among the innocents.

Compound prepositions are short phrases that act like prepositions of place, for example: em cima de (meaning on), acima de (meaning above), dentro de (meaning inside of), atrás de (meaning behind), em frente a (meaning in front of), embaixo de (meaning under, beneath) or debaixo de (meaning under, beneath).

As you can see, compound prepositions generally end with the preposition de.

In this section, we’ll review four compound prepositions, em cima de (meaning on), acima de (meaning above), embaixo de (meaning under, beneath), debaixo de (meaning under, beneath). To see a longer list of prepositions like this with examples, check out our longer list of compound prepositions of place.

These are the most common one-word prepositions of place in Brazilian Portuguese:

• a → refers to a general location and it can be used in combination with à direita (meaning on the right) and à esquerda (meaning on the left)

• em → also refers to a general location, but can also mean “inside” or “on the surface of.” It’s commonly used with the contractions no, na, nos, nas (to mention countries, cities, and general places)

• entre → refers to an intermediate position, and it means both “between” or “among”

We also often use compound prepositions of place in Brazilian Portuguese:

• em cima de → “on” or “over” (with physical contact)

• acima de → “above” or “over” (no physical contact)

• embaixo/debaixo de → “under” or “beneath”

Don’t forget to practice the Brazilian Portuguese prepositions of place with these exercises!