No mercado, a balança mostra um quilo de tomate.
At the market, the scale shows one kilo of tomatoes.
Breakdown of No mercado, a balança mostra um quilo de tomate.
de
of
o mercado
the market
no
at the
mostrar
to show
Questions & Answers about No mercado, a balança mostra um quilo de tomate.
Why is it no mercado instead of em o mercado?
Because no is a contraction of em + o.
- em = in / at
- o = the
- em o mercado becomes no mercado
This kind of contraction is very common in Portuguese:
- em + a = na
- em + os = nos
- em + as = nas
So no mercado literally corresponds to in the market or at the market.
Why is there a comma after No mercado?
No mercado is a location phrase placed at the beginning of the sentence for context: At the market, ...
The comma helps separate that introductory element from the main clause. It is very natural in writing.
Without the comma, No mercado a balança mostra..., the sentence is still understandable, but the comma makes it clearer and smoother.
What exactly does balança mean here?
Here, balança means scale or weighing scale.
It does not mean the abstract idea of balance in this sentence. In a market context, a balança is the machine used to weigh produce, meat, etc.
Examples:
- A balança está quebrada. = The scale is broken.
- Coloque as frutas na balança. = Put the fruit on the scale.