Os corações de frango estão no espeto.

Os is the masculine plural definite article, so it means the.

• o = the (masculine singular)
• os = the (masculine plural)
• a = the (feminine singular)
• as = the (feminine plural)

In this sentence, corações is plural, so os is used.

Coração means heart, and its plural is corações.

This is an irregular-looking plural pattern that is very common in Portuguese:

• coração → corações
• nação → nações
• informação → informações

Many nouns ending in -ão form the plural in -ões, though not all of them do. Unfortunately, this is something learners mostly have to get used to word by word.

De frango literally means of chicken, but in natural English it usually means chicken as a food description.

So:

• corações de frango = chicken hearts

This is very common in Portuguese food vocabulary:

• sopa de legumes = vegetable soup
• suco de laranja = orange juice
• peito de frango = chicken breast

So de often links a thing to its ingredient, type, or material.

Because frango here is not counting chickens. It is identifying the type of meat.

So corações de frango means hearts from chicken / chicken hearts, and frango stays singular because it works like a category or ingredient label.

This is similar to English, where we say:

• chicken soup, not chickens soup
• beef stew, not beeves stew

Because Portuguese normally uses estar for location.

• estar = to be, for location, condition, or state
• ser = to be, for identity, characteristics, origin, time, etc.

Here the sentence says where the chicken hearts are:

• Os corações de frango estão no espeto.
• The chicken hearts are on the skewer.

So estão is the correct form.

Estão is the 3rd person plural of estar in the present tense.

Conjugation of estar in the present:

• eu estou
• você/ele/ela está
• nós estamos
• vocês/eles/elas estão

Since os corações is plural, the verb must also be plural: estão.

No is a contraction of:

• em = in / on / at
• o = the

So:

• em + o = no

In this sentence:

• no espeto = on the skewer

Other similar contractions:

• na = em + a
• nos = em + os
• nas = em + as

Examples:

• na mesa = on the table
• nos pratos = on the plates

Because in Portuguese, em usually contracts with definite articles.

So native Portuguese normally says:

• no espeto, not em o espeto
• na casa, not em a casa
• nos carros, not em os carros

These contractions are standard and very important in everyday Portuguese.

Espeto means skewer, spit, or metal rod used for grilling.

In Brazilian Portuguese, this word is very common in barbecue contexts. So no espeto suggests the chicken hearts are threaded onto a skewer for grilling.

Depending on context, English translations could be:

• on the skewer
• on the spit
• on a skewer

Portuguese uses definite articles more often than English does.

So os corações de frango is very natural when talking about a specific set of chicken hearts already understood in context.

Compare:

• Os corações de frango estão no espeto. = The chicken hearts are on the skewer.
• Corações de frango estão no espeto. = less natural in many contexts, though possible in special styles like headlines or very general statements

In normal spoken Portuguese, the article is often preferred.

No, this is the normal Portuguese word order:

• Os corações de frango = subject
• estão = verb
• no espeto = location

So it follows the common pattern:

Subject + Verb + Place

Portuguese can change word order for style or emphasis, but this sentence is straightforward and neutral.

A rough Brazilian pronunciation is:

co-ra-SOH-ees
IPA: /koɾaˈsõjs/

A few important points:

• ç sounds like s
• õ is nasal
• ões is a very common nasal plural ending

So:

• coração ≈ co-ra-SOWN (nasal ending)
• corações ≈ co-ra-SOH-eens / co-ra-SOH-yns as a rough guide

The exact nasal sound does not exist in English, so it takes practice.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

ooz co-ra-SOH-ees djee FRAHN-go es-TAH-oong noo es-PEH-too

A more careful breakdown:

• Os → often sounds like ooz before a voiced sound
• corações → co-ra-SOH-ees with nasalization
• de frango → in Brazilian Portuguese, de before many consonants is often like djee or a softer ji sound depending on accent
• estão → nasal ending
• no espeto → noo es-PEH-too

Pronunciation varies by region, but that gives a useful Brazilian approximation.

In natural English, on the skewer is the better translation.

Portuguese em can sometimes correspond to in, on, or at depending on context, but with espeto, the natural idea is that the food is attached to the skewer, so on the skewer is the most idiomatic English choice.

Yes, but it changes the nuance.

Espetinho is the diminutive of espeto, and in Brazilian Portuguese it often refers to a small skewer, especially the kind sold as street food or in casual barbecue settings.

So:

• espeto = skewer / spit
• espetinho = little skewer, often a food-serving skewer

If you say no espetinho, it sounds smaller, more casual, and very Brazilian in a food context.