Location by Fernanda L. Ferreira, Ph.D.
The verb estar can express where something is in a particular place at a particular time. So, if you ask Onde você está? (Where are you?) you can answer, Estou em casa (I'm at home). Physical location usually refers to something or someone that is only temporarily located in a place, such as a book on a table, or a person at a bank, for example.
In order to describe where places (buildings, cities, etc.) are located, Portuguese speakers use the verb ficar (to be located). For example, Onde fica o supermercado? (Where is the supermarket?); Fica na esquina da Rua Quinze (It's at the corner of Fifteenth Street).
Here are some words that help locate things or persons when using the verb estar with physical location.
Expressing Location with Prepositional Phrases
Portuguese |
English |
embaixo de |
under |
em cima de |
on top |
dentro de |
inside |
fora de |
outside |
perto de |
close to |
longe de |
far from |
debaixo de |
under |
sobre |
over, on top |
atrás |
behind |
em frente de |
in front of |
detrás de |
behind of |
defronte de |
facing, in front of |
You can also use the verb estar to indicate a location that is not necessarily associated with space, but rather time. You can say Estou no meu segundo dia de prova (I am on my second day of exams), meaning that you are in certain place in a process of being tested.
