Prepositions are small connector words that link nouns, pronouns, and clauses to the rest of the sentence. They express place, time, direction, origin, cause, manner, and countless other relationships. In Portuguese, prepositions are never inflected — they never change form to match gender or number — but they behave differently from their English counterparts in two important ways: Portuguese uses many mandatory contractions with articles and pronouns, and many Portuguese verbs require a specific preposition before their complement where English uses none.
What a preposition does
A preposition sits in front of a noun phrase or pronoun and tells you how that noun connects to the rest of the sentence. In o livro *do João, the preposition *de (here contracted with o into do) links o livro to João and expresses possession. In vou *a Lisboa, the preposition *a connects the verb vou to its destination.
O comboio parte de Lisboa às oito.
The train leaves from Lisbon at eight.
O café está em cima da mesa, ao lado do jornal.
The coffee is on top of the table, next to the newspaper.
Notice how the second example chains three prepositional phrases (em cima de, ao lado de, contracted with articles) in the way a native speaker naturally would. Prepositions are the connective tissue of the sentence, and European Portuguese uses them densely.
The main Portuguese prepositions
Portuguese has a short list of core single-word prepositions. Every learner should recognize all of them on sight.
| Preposition | Typical meaning |
|---|---|
| a | to, at |
| ante | before, in front of (literary) |
| após | after (formal) |
| até | until, as far as, up to |
| com | with |
| contra | against |
| de | of, from |
| desde | since, from |
| em | in, on, at |
| entre | between, among |
| para | for, toward, in order to |
| perante | before, in the presence of (formal) |
| por | by, through, because of |
| sem | without |
| sob | under (literary) |
| sobre | on, about |
| trás | behind (archaic; survives in para trás, atrás) |
A quick note on register: ante, após, perante, and sob are valid in formal writing but rare in everyday speech. Conversational European Portuguese almost always replaces them with à frente de / diante de (ante, perante), depois de (após), and debaixo de / por baixo de (sob). Learn to recognize the formal forms when you read the newspaper; use the compound forms when you speak.
Sob o abrigo da ponte, refugiaram-se da chuva.
Under the shelter of the bridge, they took refuge from the rain. (literary)
Esconderam-se debaixo da ponte.
They hid under the bridge. (everyday)
Compound prepositions
Alongside the single-word prepositions, Portuguese has a rich inventory of compound prepositions — fixed multi-word phrases that behave as a single preposition. Most of them end in de, a, or em. These are what you will actually use to describe space and logic in daily speech.
| Compound preposition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| antes de | before (in time) |
| depois de | after |
| em cima de | on top of |
| por baixo de / debaixo de | underneath |
| em frente a / em frente de | in front of, opposite |
| atrás de | behind |
| ao lado de | next to |
| perto de | near |
| longe de | far from |
| junto a / junto de | right by, adjacent to |
| dentro de | inside of |
| fora de | outside of |
| através de | through, by means of |
| em vez de | instead of |
| apesar de | despite, in spite of |
| além de | besides, in addition to |
| acerca de | about, concerning |
| a respeito de | regarding |
Apesar da chuva, fomos dar um passeio em frente ao rio.
Despite the rain, we went for a walk along the riverfront.
Em vez de apanhar o autocarro, vamos a pé até ao café.
Instead of taking the bus, let's walk to the café.
Because most compound prepositions end in de, a, or em, they participate in the contraction system described below: em cima de + o = em cima do, apesar de + as = apesar das, and so on.
Obligatory contractions
This is where Portuguese differs most dramatically from English — and even from Spanish. The prepositions a, de, em, and por contract obligatorily with the definite articles, indefinite articles, demonstratives, and third-person pronouns that follow them. You cannot choose to leave them uncontracted; the written form de o or em um is simply wrong in modern European Portuguese.
With definite articles
| Preposition |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | ao | à | aos | às |
| de | do | da | dos | das |
| em | no | na | nos | nas |
| por | pelo | pela | pelos | pelas |
Vou ao supermercado e depois passo na farmácia.
I'm going to the supermarket and then stopping by the pharmacy.
O livro do meu pai está na gaveta da secretária.
My father's book is in the desk drawer.
The grave accent on à / às is not optional; it marks the contraction of a + a/as (preposition plus feminine article) and distinguishes it from the bare article a. Dropping the accent changes the grammar.
With indefinite articles
Contractions with um/uma/uns/umas exist for de and em, but only the contractions with em are obligatory in writing. The contractions with de (dum, duma, duns, dumas) are optional and feel somewhat informal; many writers prefer the uncontracted de um, de uma.
| Preposition |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| em (required) | num | numa | nuns | numas |
| de (optional) | dum | duma | duns | dumas |
Vivo num apartamento pequeno no centro da cidade.
I live in a small apartment downtown.
Precisamos de um táxi or Precisamos dum táxi.
We need a taxi (both are acceptable).
With demonstratives and pronouns
The contractions extend to demonstratives (este, esse, aquele) and to the third-person pronouns ele, ela, eles, elas.
| Preposition |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| de | deste / desta | desse / dessa | daquele / daquela | dele / dela |
| em | neste / nesta | nesse / nessa | naquele / naquela | nele / nela |
| a (demonstrative only) | — | — | àquele / àquela | — |
Nesta casa nasceu a minha avó.
My grandmother was born in this house.
Daquela janela vê-se o mar.
From that window you can see the sea.
O carro é dele, não dela.
The car is his, not hers.
The PT-PT feature: até ao
One preposition deserves special attention because it sharply distinguishes European Portuguese from Brazilian Portuguese: até (until, up to, as far as). In European Portuguese, até is followed by the full contracted preposition a + o / a + a when a masculine or feminine definite article is present:
Fui até ao Porto de comboio.
I went as far as Porto by train. (PT-PT)
Fica aqui até à meia-noite.
Stay here until midnight. (PT-PT)
Brazilian Portuguese routinely drops the a and says fui até o Porto, até a meia-noite. Both forms are grammatical in their respective varieties, but a European Portuguese speaker will immediately hear the difference. If you are writing in the Portuguese of Portugal, always include the ao / à.
Cases and "personal a"
Portuguese, like English, has no case system for nouns. Prepositions govern no cases, and there is no equivalent of Spanish's personal a — the mandatory a before a direct object that refers to a specific person. In Portuguese, you simply say Vi o João (I saw João), not Vi ao João. The only time a appears before a human object is when it is the marker of an indirect object, in sentences like Dei o livro ao João (I gave the book to João).
This is a major simplification compared to Spanish, and it is one of the few areas where Portuguese is mechanically easier than its Iberian sibling.
Why prepositions matter
Choosing the right preposition is often the difference between sounding like a beginner and sounding fluent. Consider the contrast between vou a Lisboa (I'm going to Lisbon — a trip) and vou para Lisboa (I'm moving to Lisbon — a permanent move). The two English translations can both be I'm going to Lisbon, but Portuguese forces you to choose which intention you mean. Similarly, gosto de café (I like coffee) uses de obligatorily — dropping the preposition produces ungrammatical gosto café, a classic beginner error.
Common mistakes
❌ Vou em Lisboa amanhã.
Incorrect — em is location, not movement (common BR influence).
✅ Vou a Lisboa amanhã.
I'm going to Lisbon tomorrow.
❌ Fui até o fim da rua.
Incorrect in PT-PT — até must contract with the article.
✅ Fui até ao fim da rua.
I went to the end of the street.
❌ O livro de o professor.
Incorrect — *de + o* must contract to *do*.
✅ O livro do professor.
The teacher's book.
❌ Gosto muito café da manhã.
Incorrect — gostar requires de.
✅ Gosto muito de café de manhã.
I really like coffee in the morning.
❌ Estou em casa a Maria.
Incorrect — possession needs de.
✅ Estou em casa da Maria.
I'm at Maria's house.
Where to go next
The four prepositions you will meet most often — de, em, a, and para — each carry enough uses to fill their own page. Start with de for possession, origin, and the partitive. Move on to em for locations and time expressions. Then tackle a for direction, indirect objects, and the PT-PT até ao pattern. Finish with para for purpose, destination, and comparison. Once those four are solid, the rest of the preposition system falls into place quickly.
Related Topics
- The Preposition deA1 — Uses of the preposition de — origin, possession, material, partitives, time, and the verbs that require it.
- The Preposition emA1 — Uses of the preposition em — static location, time, and state — and why Portuguese uses de (not em) for transport.
- The Preposition aA1 — Uses of the preposition a — direction, indirect objects, time, manner, and the crucial PT-PT até ao construction.
- The Preposition paraA1 — Uses of the preposition para — purpose, destination, recipient, deadline, comparison, and the para vs. por distinction.