If you learn one preposition for talking about where things are, learn em. Brazilian Portuguese runs almost all of its location vocabulary on em plus its contractions (na, no, nas, nos) — na mesa, no Brasil, na escola. For finer detail it adds a small set of single prepositions (a, de, entre, sobre/sob) and a larger set of compound prepositions ending in de (em cima de, atrás de, perto de). The two things that genuinely trip up English speakers are the contractions (you can almost never leave em bare before an article) and one stubbornly unpredictable quirk: some countries take an article (no Brasil) and some don't (em Portugal), with no rule to tell you which.
em — the location workhorse
Em means in, on, or at — English splits these three ways, but Portuguese uses one preposition for "located somewhere." It almost always contracts with the following article.
| em + | contraction | example |
|---|---|---|
| o | no | no banheiro |
| a | na | na cozinha |
| os | nos | nos Estados Unidos |
| as | nas | nas montanhas |
As suas chaves estão na mesa da cozinha.
Your keys are on the kitchen table. (em + a = na)
Tem um mercadinho ótimo no meu bairro.
There's a great little market in my neighborhood. (em + o = no)
Cresci numa cidade pequena do interior.
I grew up in a small town in the countryside. (em + uma = numa, informal but standard in speech)
One em does the work of English in the kitchen, on the table, and at the market. You do not choose between in/on/at — you just use em and contract it.
em casa vs. na casa — the article changes the meaning
A deceptively important pair. Em casa (no article) means at home in the general sense — your own home, home as a state. Na casa (with article) means in the [specific] house — a particular building.
Fica em casa hoje, tá chovendo muito.
Stay home today, it's raining a lot. (em casa = at home, generic)
A festa vai ser na casa do Pedro.
The party's going to be at Pedro's house. (na casa = the specific house)
The same logic applies to a few other "home-base" places: na escola usually takes the article, but you may hear bare forms for institutions treated abstractly. Em casa is the one to lock in — it parallels English at home (no the).
The country-article quirk: no Brasil but em Portugal
Here is the famous trap, and the honest answer is that it is memorized, not derivable. Most countries take a definite article, so em contracts: no Brasil, na França, nos Estados Unidos. But a stubborn minority take no article, so em stays bare: em Portugal, em Cuba, em Israel, em Angola. Cities almost never take an article (em São Paulo, em Salvador), with a few historical exceptions (no Rio de Janeiro, no Porto).
| With article (contract) | No article (bare em) |
|---|---|
| no Brasil | em Portugal |
| nos Estados Unidos | em Cuba |
| na França / na Itália | em Israel |
| no Japão / na China | em Angola / em Moçambique |
| no Rio de Janeiro (city) | em São Paulo (city) |
Moro no Brasil, mas minha família é de Portugal.
I live in Brazil, but my family is from Portugal. (no Brasil vs. de Portugal)
Ela passou um ano nos Estados Unidos e depois foi pra Cuba.
She spent a year in the United States and then went to Cuba. (nos Estados Unidos vs. pra/para Cuba — no article)
a — direction to a side or point
A marks position relative to a side or a precise point: à direita (on the right), à esquerda (on the left), ao lado (to the side). It contracts to ao (masculine) and à (feminine, with the grave accent).
O banheiro fica à direita, no fim do corredor.
The bathroom is on the right, at the end of the hall. (a + a = à)
Senta aqui ao meu lado.
Sit here next to me. (a + o = ao)
de — origin and the from-point
De answers de onde? — where something or someone comes from. It also pairs with a or até to draw a path.
Sou de Recife, mas moro em Brasília há anos.
I'm from Recife, but I've lived in Brasília for years.
O ônibus vai do centro até a praia.
The bus goes from downtown to the beach. (de + o = do)
entre, sobre, sob
Three more single prepositions fill specific spatial gaps. Entre = between/among; sobre = on/over (and also about a topic); sob = under (formal; everyday speech prefers embaixo de).
O parque fica entre o rio e a avenida.
The park is between the river and the avenue.
Deixei o bilhete sobre a mesa.
I left the note on the table. (sobre = on/over; formal-leaning)
Os documentos estavam sob sigilo.
The documents were under secrecy/seal. (sob = under, formal/literary)
The compound prepositions: precise position
For exact spatial relationships, Brazilian Portuguese leans on compound prepositions ending in de. The final de contracts with the article exactly as plain de does (de + a = da, de + o = do).
| Compound | Meaning | With article |
|---|---|---|
| em cima de | on top of | em cima da mesa |
| embaixo de / debaixo de | underneath | embaixo do sofá |
| dentro de | inside | dentro da gaveta |
| fora de | outside of | fora do prédio |
| atrás de | behind | atrás da porta |
| em frente a / de | in front of / across from | em frente ao banco |
| ao lado de | beside, next to | ao lado do mercado |
| perto de | near | perto da estação |
| longe de | far from | longe do centro |
O controle tá embaixo do sofá de novo.
The remote is under the couch again. (informal: tá = está; de + o = do)
A padaria fica bem em frente ao prédio.
The bakery is right across from the building. (a + o = ao)
Guardei o passaporte dentro da gaveta de cima.
I put the passport inside the top drawer. (de + a = da)
Common Mistakes
❌ As chaves estão em a mesa.
Incorrect — em + a must contract to na.
✅ As chaves estão na mesa.
The keys are on the table.
❌ Eu moro em Brasil.
Incorrect — Brasil takes the article, so em + o = no.
✅ Eu moro no Brasil.
I live in Brazil.
❌ Ela mora no Portugal.
Incorrect — Portugal takes no article, so just em Portugal.
✅ Ela mora em Portugal.
She lives in Portugal.
❌ Vou ficar na casa hoje. (meaning: at home, generally)
Incorrect for 'at home' generically — that's em casa, no article.
✅ Vou ficar em casa hoje.
I'm going to stay home today.
❌ O gato está em cima de a cama.
Incorrect — the final de of em cima de must contract to da.
✅ O gato está em cima da cama.
The cat is on top of the bed.
Key Takeaways
- Em (contracting to na/no/nas/nos) is the default for "located somewhere" — it covers English in, on, and at.
- Em casa = at home (generic, no article); na casa = in the specific house.
- Country articles are memorized: no Brasil, nos Estados Unidos, na França, but em Portugal, em Cuba, em São Paulo.
- A for sides/points (à direita, ao lado), de for origin, entre for between, sobre/sob (formal) for over/under.
- Precise position uses compound prepositions ending in de — and that de always contracts: em cima da mesa, atrás do prédio.
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- Preposition 'Entre': Between, AmongA2 — How 'entre' covers both English 'between' and 'among', why careful speech says 'entre mim e você' (not 'entre eu'), and its figurative uses.