Aluga-se apartamento mobiliado perto do centro.

In this sentence, se is not reflexive. It does not mean that the apartment rents itself.

Here, se is used in a very common Portuguese structure found in ads, notices, and signs. It creates a passive or impersonal meaning, so aluga-se apartamento is the usual way to say something like:

• apartment for rent
• an apartment is rented out

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, this is one of the most common ways to announce that something is available to rent.

Because apartamento is singular.

In standard grammar, when se is used this way, the verb usually agrees with the noun that follows:

• Aluga-se apartamento. = singular
• Alugam-se apartamentos. = plural

So in your sentence, aluga-se matches apartamento.

A useful note: in real-life Brazilian Portuguese, especially in ads and casual usage, you may sometimes see singular aluga-se even with a plural noun. But the more standard/formal version is:

• Alugam-se apartamentos.

Yes, basically.

Many grammar books describe this as a passive with se. So Aluga-se apartamento is understood like:

• Apartamento é alugado
• or more naturally in English, Apartment for rent

In practice, learners usually just need to recognize that verb + se is very common in signs and ads to mean that something is offered, sold, rented, etc.

Compare:

• Vende-se casa. = House for sale
• Procura-se secretário. = Secretary wanted
• Aluga-se apartamento. = Apartment for rent

Because ads and headlines often leave articles out.

A full sentence could be:

• Aluga-se um apartamento mobiliado perto do centro.
• Aluga-se o apartamento mobiliado perto do centro.

But in classified ads, signs, and short announcements, Portuguese often sounds more natural without the article:

• Aluga-se apartamento mobiliado...

This gives it a brief, ad-style feel, similar to how English ads often shorten things too.

Mobiliado means furnished.

So apartamento mobiliado means a furnished apartment, one that already has furniture.

It is an adjective, and it agrees with apartamento, which is masculine singular:

• apartamento mobiliado
• casa mobiliada
• apartamentos mobiliados
• casas mobiliadas

In Brazil, mobiliado is the normal form. In European Portuguese, you may also see mobilado.

Because de + o contracts to do.

The expression is perto de = near.
When the next noun takes the article o, the combination becomes:

• de + o = do

So:

• perto de o centro → perto do centro

This kind of contraction is extremely common in Portuguese.

Other examples:

• de + a = da
• em + o = no
• em + a = na

It usually means near downtown or near the city center.

Centro often refers to the central commercial or historical area of a town or city, not necessarily the exact geometric center.

So in a real estate ad, perto do centro usually suggests a convenient location near shops, services, transport, and the main urban area.

Normally, no.

The usual expression is perto de:

• perto do centro
• perto da praia
• perto de casa

So for this sentence, perto do centro is the natural form.

Because in Portuguese, adjectives often come after the noun.

So:

• apartamento mobiliado = furnished apartment
• casa grande = big house
• carro novo = new car

Sometimes adjectives can come before the noun, but after-the-noun position is very common and often the most neutral choice. In this sentence, apartamento mobiliado is the normal, natural order.

Yes. A few natural alternatives are:

• Apartamento mobiliado para alugar perto do centro.
• Aluga-se um apartamento mobiliado perto do centro.
• Apartamento mobiliado, perto do centro. Aluga-se.

But Aluga-se apartamento mobiliado perto do centro is very typical ad language: short, direct, and natural.

No. Even though the structure may look strange at first, native speakers do not understand it that way.

For learners, it is best to treat aluga-se as a standard ad formula meaning something like:

• for rent
• available to rent
• is rented out

So the sentence does not suggest that the apartment is doing the action itself.

The words would change to agree with the noun.

Examples:

• Aluga-se casa mobiliada perto do centro.
  = a furnished house for rent near downtown

• Alugam-se apartamentos mobiliados perto do centro.
  = furnished apartments for rent near downtown

• Alugam-se casas mobiliadas perto do centro.
  = furnished houses for rent near downtown

Notice both the verb and the adjective change to match the noun in standard grammar.

Yes, absolutely.

This is very realistic Brazilian Portuguese for:

• real estate ads
• classified listings
• signs in windows
• online property posts

Short ad-style sentences like this are extremely common, especially with verbs such as:

• alugar = to rent out
• vender = to sell
• precisar / procurar in ad-style phrases
• contratar in job ads

So this sentence is not just grammatically correct; it also sounds authentic in a real Brazilian context.