Breakdown of A mesa está de frente para a janela.
a mesa
the table
estar
to be
a janela
the window
de frente para
to face
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Questions & Answers about A mesa está de frente para a janela.
What is the role of está in A mesa está de frente para a janela? Why not use é?
In Portuguese, estar (está) is used for temporary states, conditions or locations. Here it tells us where or how the table is positioned right now. By contrast, ser (é) describes permanent characteristics (e.g., A mesa é de madeira). Since the sentence describes the table’s current orientation, we use está.
Why do we say de frente para instead of just em frente ao?
Both express “in front of,” but with a subtle difference:
- de frente para highlights the orientation or direction something is facing (the table faces the window).
- em frente ao (em frente a + o) emphasizes sheer location (“right in front of”). You could say A mesa está em frente à janela, but that suggests it’s placed directly before the window, not necessarily oriented towards it.
Why are there two prepositions (de and para) in de frente para?
They work together as a fixed expression:
- de frente = “facing, face-to-face”
- para = “towards” So de frente para literally means “facing towards.” You need both to convey that orientation.
Why is there an article before janela – why a janela instead of just janela?
In Portuguese, most nouns take a definite article when spoken about in a general or specific sense. Saying a janela (“the window”) is natural. Omitting the article (para janela) sounds ungrammatical here.
Can we use the colloquial pra instead of para a?
Yes. In everyday speech, para a often contracts to pra. So you’ll hear A mesa tá de frente pra janela. Note that tá is also a spoken contraction of está.
What’s the difference between de frente para and virado para?
They’re close in meaning, but with slight nuance:
- de frente para stresses that one side is directly facing something.
- virado para (turned towards) focuses on the action or result of turning. Example: A mesa está virada para a janela suggests it was rotated into that position, while de frente para emphasizes its current “face.”
Could we write A mesa está de frente à janela?
Yes. That form contracts a frente a + a janela into à janela. It’s a bit more formal or literary. In speech, you’ll more often find de frente para a or de frente pra.