Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): O cachorro está debaixo da mesa.

ser (é) is used for:
- permanent or defining characteristics
  - Ele é alto. – He is tall.
- identity, origin, profession, time, etc.
estar (está) is used for:
- temporary states or locations
  - Ele está cansado. – He is (feeling) tired.
  - Ele está em casa. – He is at home.

In O cachorro está debaixo da mesa, the dog’s location is a current, changeable situation, so Portuguese uses estar, not ser.
So “The dog is under the table” must be O cachorro está debaixo da mesa, never O cachorro é debaixo da mesa.

What does debaixo mean exactly, and how is it different from embaixo?

Both debaixo and embaixo are common in Brazilian Portuguese and both can translate as “under / underneath / below.”

debaixo (de) literally: “from under / from below”
- Usually followed by de:
  - debaixo da mesa – under the table
embaixo (de) also:
- embaixo da mesa – under the table

In everyday Brazilian speech, embaixo (de) is often more common and sounds very natural:

O cachorro está embaixo da mesa. – The dog is under the table.

In this specific sentence, debaixo da mesa and embaixo da mesa are both correct and mean the same thing for normal conversation. There’s only a slight stylistic preference depending on region and speaker; no big meaning difference here.

Why is it debaixo da mesa and not debaixo a mesa?

Portuguese often uses a preposition + article combination that contracts into a single word.

Here:

de (of, from, in some location expressions)
a (the – feminine singular definite article)
combine into:
da = de + a

So:

debaixo de + a mesa → debaixo da mesa – under the table

You do not say:

✗ debaixo a mesa (incorrect)
You must use de and the article together, contracted: da.

Other examples:

do = de + o
- debaixo do carro – under the car
dos = de + os
- debaixo dos livros – under the books
das = de + as
- debaixo das cadeiras – under the chairs

Why do we need O in O cachorro? Can I just say Cachorro está debaixo da mesa?

In Portuguese, you normally use the definite article (o, a, os, as) with singular, countable nouns when you are talking about a specific person or thing.

O cachorro está debaixo da mesa.
- The dog is under the table (a specific dog).

If you say:

Cachorro está debaixo da mesa.

it sounds incomplete or wrong in standard Portuguese. Native speakers expect an article there.

You can drop the article in headlines, labels, or very telegraphic language, for example:

Cachorro debaixo da mesa – as a note or photo caption (“Dog under the table”)

But in a normal full sentence, use:

O cachorro está… – The dog is…
Um cachorro está… – A dog is… (indefinite)

Why is cachorro masculine? How would I say a female dog?

Noun gender in Portuguese is mostly grammatical, not purely logical.

cachorro is a masculine noun (the basic dictionary form).
- o cachorro – the dog (male, or unspecified)
The feminine form is:
- a cachorra – the (female) dog

In many situations, o cachorro can refer to “the dog” without focusing on gender, especially in casual speech. If you need to emphasize that the dog is female, you can say:

A cachorra está debaixo da mesa. – The (female) dog is under the table.

There’s also another, more “technical” word for a female dog:

cadela (feminine)
- A cadela está debaixo da mesa.

But cadela can sound formal, or even rude or insulting when used about a person, so learners usually stick with cachorro / cachorra for dogs.

What’s the difference between cachorro and cão?

Both mean “dog”, but usage differs:

cachorro
- By far the most common everyday word for “dog” in Brazil.
- Neutral and used in all contexts: pets, street dogs, etc.
- Diminutive: cachorrinho / cachorrinha – little dog, puppy (affectionate).
cão
- Feels more formal, literary, or biblical in Brazilian Portuguese.
- Used in fixed expressions:
  - cão-guia – guide dog
  - cão de guarda – guard dog
- Everyday conversations about your pet: people almost always say cachorro.

So, in Brazil:

O cachorro está debaixo da mesa. is natural.
O cão está debaixo da mesa. is correct but can sound more formal or book-like.

Why is it da mesa and not na mesa or sobre a mesa?

These prepositions describe different spatial relations:

debaixo da mesa – under the table
- The dog is below the table.
na mesa = em + a mesa – on / at the table
- O prato está na mesa. – The plate is on the table.
- Nós estamos na mesa. – We are (sitting) at the table.
sobre a mesa – on top of the table, more literally “on/over the table”
- Often a bit more formal or precise than na mesa.

So:

O cachorro está debaixo da mesa. – The dog is under the table.
O cachorro está na mesa. – The dog is on the table / at the table (e.g., standing on top of it).
O cachorro está sobre a mesa. – emphasizes “on top of the table.”

Can I change the word order, like Debaixo da mesa está o cachorro?

Yes, Portuguese has more flexible word order than English. The basic, neutral order is:

O cachorro está debaixo da mesa.

But you can say:

Debaixo da mesa está o cachorro.

This is grammatically correct and might:

sound slightly more literary or emphatic,
emphasize “under the table” as the important information:
- “Under the table is where the dog is.”

In everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, people usually stick to the basic order, but inverted orders are possible and are used for emphasis, style, or rhythm.

Could you ever leave out está, like O cachorro debaixo da mesa?

In standard grammar, you need the verb estar here:

O cachorro está debaixo da mesa. – correct full sentence

If you say:

O cachorro debaixo da mesa.

on its own, it is not a complete standard sentence. However, in very informal speech or notes / headlines, natives might use such a structure as a kind of shorthand:

Cachorro debaixo da mesa – as a caption or quick note (“Dog under the table”)

But when you’re making a normal sentence, especially as a learner, include está:

O cachorro está debaixo da mesa.

How would this sentence look in the plural?

To make it plural, you change:

o cachorro → os cachorros
está → estão (3rd person plural of estar)

Preposition + article contraction also changes:

da mesa stays the same here because mesa is still singular.

So:

Os cachorros estão debaixo da mesa.
- The dogs are under the table.

How do you pronounce cachorro and debaixo in Brazilian Portuguese?

Approximate guide (for Brazilian Portuguese):

cachorro – [ka-SHO-ho] (3 syllables)
- ca – like “kah”
- cho – like English “sho” in “shoe”
- rro – in Brazilian Portuguese, rr is a guttural sound (similar to the “h” in “house” but stronger, from the throat); the vowel is like “o” in “told” (shorter).
debaixo – [djee-BAI-sho]
- de – often sounds like “jee” (a soft “j” sound) in Brazil
- bai – like “bye”
- xo – “sho” again (“sh” sound + “oh”)

So a rough English-like approximation:

O cachorro está debaixo da mesa.
- “Oo kah-SHO-ho es-TAH djee-BYE-sho da ME-zah.”

(Stress: cachó-rro, debái-xo, mé-sa, está.)

Is there any difference if I say embaixo da mesa instead of debaixo da mesa?

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, embaixo da mesa and debaixo da mesa are both correct and, in this context, mean the same: “under the table.”

Subtle points:

Some speakers feel embaixo is a bit more colloquial / common in speech.
debaixo may sound a bit more formal or careful to some, but this varies by region.

For you as a learner:

You can safely use either:
- O cachorro está embaixo da mesa.
- O cachorro está debaixo da mesa.

Both will be understood perfectly and sound natural in Brazil.