O livro está na prateleira de cima, e eu vou colocar o jornal nela.

Both forms come from the preposition em.

• na = em + a
• nela = em + ela

So:

• na prateleira = on the shelf
• nela = on it / in it, referring back to a prateleira

In Portuguese, em is often used where English uses on, in, or at, depending on the situation. With prateleira, English says on the shelf, but Portuguese uses em:

• na prateleira
• later shortened to nela

Because prateleira is feminine, the pronoun is also feminine: ela → nela.

Because nela is feminine, and prateleira is a feminine noun.

• a prateleira → feminine
• o jornal → masculine

So if the speaker wanted to refer to o jornal, the form would be nele, not nela.

This gender agreement helps you identify what the pronoun refers to.

Prateleira de cima literally means the shelf from above, but in natural English it means the top shelf or the upper shelf.

This is a very common Portuguese way to describe location:

• de cima = upper / above / on top
• de baixo = lower / below / underneath

Examples:

• a gaveta de cima = the top drawer
• a gaveta de baixo = the bottom drawer

So a prateleira de cima is simply the upper shelf.

Portuguese uses estar for location.

So when something is physically located somewhere, you normally use estar:

• O livro está na prateleira. = The book is on the shelf.

You would not normally say O livro é na prateleira for location.

A simple rule:

• ser = identity, characteristics, classification
• estar = location, condition, temporary state

Vou colocar is the very common near future construction:

• ir + infinitive

So:

• eu vou colocar = I am going to put / I will put

This is extremely common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese and often sounds more natural in conversation than the simple future:

• colocarei

Both are correct, but vou colocar is much more frequent in speech.

Portuguese uses definite articles much more often than English.

So o livro and o jornal are completely normal even when English might prefer:

• the book
• the newspaper
• or sometimes no article at all in a different context

In Portuguese, using the article often sounds more natural when talking about specific things already known in the situation.

Yes, it could be omitted.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject:

• vou colocar already tells you the subject is eu

So both are possible:

• e eu vou colocar o jornal nela
• e vou colocar o jornal nela

Including eu can add:

• emphasis
• contrast
• clarity

For example, eu may sound like and I am going to put the newspaper there, possibly contrasting with what someone else is doing.

Because the sentence keeps o jornal as a full noun phrase and only replaces a prateleira with a pronoun.

So the structure is:

• colocar o jornal nela = put the newspaper on it

If you wanted to replace o jornal with a direct object pronoun too, Portuguese could do that, but it becomes a different structure, such as:

• vou colocá-lo nela = I’m going to put it on it

That is grammatically possible, but in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, speakers often prefer the fuller version because it sounds clearer and more natural.

Historically, it is based on ela, yes, but here it does not mean in her in the personal sense.

It means in it / on it, because ela can refer to a feminine noun, not only to a female person.

So in this sentence:

• nela = on it
• referring to a prateleira

This is very normal in Portuguese.

This is one of those places where Portuguese and English divide space differently.

Portuguese often uses em for surfaces and locations where English prefers on:

• na mesa = on the table
• na parede = on the wall
• na prateleira = on the shelf

So do not translate em too literally as only in. Its meaning depends on context.

Not in the same way.

• prateleira de cima = the upper shelf
• em cima usually means on top or above, and it works differently

For example:

• O livro está em cima da mesa. = The book is on top of the table.

But when identifying which shelf you mean, Portuguese normally says:

• a prateleira de cima

not

• a prateleira em cima

So de cima is the correct expression here.

Yes, it is very natural.

• O livro está na prateleira de cima, e eu vou colocar o jornal nela.

This sounds like normal spoken or written Brazilian Portuguese.

A small stylistic note: since nela already refers to prateleira, the sentence avoids repeating the noun. That makes it sound smooth and natural.

Yes.

You could say:

• O livro está na prateleira de cima, e eu vou colocar o jornal na prateleira de cima.

This is grammatically correct, but it sounds repetitive. Using nela is more natural because the shelf has just been mentioned.

So:

• repeating the noun = correct, but heavier
• using nela = more elegant and natural here