Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): O apartamento fica à esquerda do mercado. - The apartment is to the left of the market.

Breakdown of O apartamento fica à esquerda do mercado.

Why use fica here instead of é or está?

In Brazilian Portuguese, ficar is very common to indicate location or give directions. It roughly means “to be located” or “to be (situated).”

O apartamento fica à esquerda do mercado. = The apartment is located to the left of the market.
estar can also work for location: O apartamento está à esquerda do mercado. It sounds a bit more neutral/current state.
ser is not used for physical location of things: O apartamento é à esquerda... sounds wrong.

What does the accent in à esquerda mean?

That grave accent marks a contraction called crase: a + a = à. Here it’s the preposition a plus the feminine article a before the noun esquerda.

Set phrase: à esquerda (de) = “to the left (of)”
Parallel: à direita (de) = “to the right (of)” Note: The accent is not for pronunciation or stress; it just shows the contraction.

Why is it do mercado and not de o mercado?

Portuguese contracts prepositions with articles:

de + o = do (masculine singular)
de + a = da
de + os = dos
de + as = das So de o mercado becomes do mercado because mercado is masculine.