O pão e o queijo estão nos pratos.

Because Portuguese often uses the definite article more often than English does.

• o pão = the bread
• o queijo = the cheese

In Portuguese, it is very normal to say o pão e o queijo where English might also say bread and cheese depending on context. Here, both nouns are specific, so the articles sound natural.

Also, each noun keeps its own article:

• o pão e o queijo not
• o pão e queijo

Because the subject is plural: o pão e o queijo = the bread and the cheese.

Even though each noun is singular by itself, together they make a plural subject, so the verb must also be plural.

• o pão está = the bread is
• o queijo está = the cheese is
• o pão e o queijo estão = the bread and the cheese are

So estão is the they are form of estar.

Portuguese often uses estar for location.

So when you say where something is, estar is usually the verb you want:

• O pão está na mesa. = The bread is on the table.
• Os livros estão na mochila. = The books are in the backpack.

That is why this sentence says:

• estão nos pratos = are on/in the plates

Using ser here would sound unnatural for normal location.

nos is a contraction of:

• em + os = nos

So:

• em = in / on / at
• os = the (masculine plural)
• nos = in the / on the

Here:

• nos pratos = on the plates or in the plates, depending on context

Portuguese uses these contractions very regularly:

• em + o = no
• em + a = na
• em + os = nos
• em + as = nas

Because the sentence refers to more than one plate.

• o prato = the plate
• os pratos = the plates

Since the contraction is nos = em + os, the noun after it must also be masculine plural:

• nos pratos

This matches the idea that the bread and cheese are on multiple plates.

The article tells you:

• o prato = masculine singular
• os pratos = masculine plural

In this sentence, nos contains os, which is the masculine plural article.

A useful tip:

• no / nos usually go with masculine nouns
• na / nas usually go with feminine nouns

For example:

• no prato = on the plate
• na mesa = on the table

Pão is pronounced roughly like powng, but with a nasal sound. There is no exact English equivalent.

The ending -ão is very common in Portuguese and is usually nasal. You do not fully pronounce a separate n sound; instead, the vowel becomes nasal.

Examples:

• pão
• não
• irmão

For an English speaker, the hardest part is making the vowel nasal instead of saying something like pah-oh. It should be one syllable: pão.

The tilde (~) over ã shows nasal pronunciation.

So estão has a nasal vowel sound in the last syllable. The tilde is not just decoration—it changes how the word is pronounced.

Compare:

• esta = this
• está = is
• estão = are

These are different words, so the accent marks matter a lot in Portuguese.

Yes, in this sentence it is very similar:

• O pão e o queijo = subject
• estão = verb
• nos pratos = location phrase

So the structure is basically:

The bread and the cheese + are + on the plates

This is a straightforward sentence, and the word order will feel familiar to English speakers.

You could in some contexts, but it changes the feel.

• O pão e o queijo estão nos pratos sounds like you are talking about specific bread and specific cheese.
• Pão e queijo estão nos pratos sounds more general or less anchored to specific items.

Portuguese often prefers the articles here, especially in normal everyday speech. So for a learner, the version with o ... o ... is the safest and most natural choice.

Usually, in natural English, you would translate it as on the plates, even though Portuguese uses em.

Portuguese em can cover several location meanings that English separates into in, on, or at.

So:

• nos pratos literally uses em
• but the best English translation is often on the plates

This is very common, so it is better to learn the whole phrase as a natural location expression rather than trying to match each preposition exactly.