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O pente está perto do espelho.

O pente está perto do espelho.
The comb is near the mirror.

Breakdown of O pente está perto do espelho.

estar
to be
perto
near
do
of the
o espelho
the mirror
o pente
the comb
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Questions & Answers about O pente está perto do espelho.

Why is it o pente and o espelho?

Because pente and espelho are masculine singular nouns in Portuguese, so they normally take the masculine singular definite article o.

  • o pente = the comb
  • o espelho = the mirror

In Portuguese, nouns have grammatical gender, and the article must match the noun:

  • o = masculine singular
  • a = feminine singular
  • os = masculine plural
  • as = feminine plural
What does do mean here?

Do is a contraction of de + o.

  • de = of / from
  • o = the
  • de + o = do

So:

  • perto do espelho literally means near of the mirror
  • but in natural English, it simply means near the mirror

This contraction is very common in Portuguese:

  • de + a = da
  • de + os = dos
  • de + as = das
Why is it perto do espelho and not just perto o espelho?

Because perto normally uses the preposition de after it.

So the pattern is:

  • perto de
    • noun

Examples:

  • perto do espelho = near the mirror
  • perto da porta = near the door
  • perto de casa = near home

So perto o espelho is not correct. You need de, and since espelho uses o, de + o becomes do.

Why does the sentence use está instead of é?

Because this sentence talks about location, and in Portuguese, location is normally expressed with estar, not ser.

  • O pente está perto do espelho. = The comb is near the mirror.

A helpful rule:

  • ser is often for identity, classification, permanent characteristics
  • estar is often for location, condition, temporary states

So:

  • É um pente. = It is a comb.
  • Está perto do espelho. = It is near the mirror.
What form is está?

Está is the third person singular form of the verb estar in the present tense.

Conjugation:

  • eu estou = I am
  • você/ele/ela está = you/he/she is
  • nós estamos = we are
  • vocês/eles/elas estão = you/they are

In this sentence, o pente is singular, so Portuguese uses está:

  • O pente está...
Is the word order the same as in English?

Yes, in this sentence the basic word order is very similar to English:

  • O pente = subject
  • está = verb
  • perto do espelho = location phrase

So it follows:

Subject + verb + location

This makes the sentence fairly straightforward for English speakers.

Can I leave out o and say Pente está perto do espelho?

Usually, no. In Portuguese, using the definite article with common nouns is much more normal than in English.

So:

  • O pente está perto do espelho. = natural
  • Pente está perto do espelho. = unnatural in most normal contexts

Leaving out the article might happen in very specific situations, like labels, notes, headlines, or certain special styles, but for ordinary speech and writing, keep o.

How do I pronounce pente?

In Brazilian Portuguese, pente is pronounced approximately like PEN-chee or PEN-tee, depending on accent, but neither English approximation is perfect.

A few helpful points:

  • The pen- part is nasalized somewhat because of the en
  • The final te in Brazilian Portuguese often sounds like chee in many regions, especially before i, but here it can vary depending on accent and how carefully someone is speaking

A safe learner approximation is:

  • PEN-teh, while listening carefully to native pronunciation
How do I pronounce espelho?

Espelho is roughly pronounced es-PEL-yoo in Brazilian Portuguese.

A few details:

  • The stress is on pe
  • lh in Portuguese is a special sound, similar to the lli in some pronunciations of million, but smoother
  • The final o in Brazilian Portuguese often sounds closer to oo

So espelho is not pronounced like English mirror at all, and the lh sound is especially important to practice.

Why is there an accent mark in está?

The accent mark shows the stressed syllable and helps distinguish the word.

  • está = is from the verb estar

In Portuguese, written accents are meaningful and should be learned as part of the word. Here, the accent tells you the stress falls on the last syllable:

  • es-TÁ

Without the accent, it would not be the standard correct spelling of this verb form.

Can perto also mean close?

Yes. Perto can often be translated as near or close depending on context.

So:

  • O pente está perto do espelho. can mean:
  • The comb is near the mirror.
  • The comb is close to the mirror.

Both are natural English translations.

How would I make the sentence plural?

You would make the nouns, articles, and verb agree in the plural:

  • Os pentes estão perto do espelho. = The combs are near the mirror.
  • O pente está perto dos espelhos. = The comb is near the mirrors.
  • Os pentes estão perto dos espelhos. = The combs are near the mirrors.

Notice the changes:

  • o → os
  • está → estão
  • do → dos when the following noun is masculine plural
Could I say O pente está próximo do espelho instead?

Yes. Próximo de is another common way to say near or close to.

So these are both correct:

  • O pente está perto do espelho.
  • O pente está próximo do espelho.

Perto de is very common and simple. Próximo de can sound slightly more formal depending on context, but both are normal.

Is this sentence natural in Brazilian Portuguese?

Yes, it is completely natural. It is a simple, correct sentence that uses very common grammar:

  • article + noun
  • estar for location
  • perto de
  • contraction de + o = do

So it is a very good model sentence for beginners.