Nosso apartamento fica perto da estação.

Because nosso has to agree with apartamento, not with the speaker.

Apartamento is a masculine singular noun, so the possessive must also be masculine singular:

• nosso apartamento = our apartment
• nossa casa = our house

The full set is:

• nosso = our, masculine singular
• nossa = our, feminine singular
• nossos = our, masculine plural
• nossas = our, feminine plural

Here fica means something like is located or is situated.

The verb is ficar, which has several meanings in Portuguese depending on context, including:

• to stay
• to become
• to be located

In this sentence, it is the location meaning:

• O hotel fica no centro. = The hotel is in/downtown.
• Nossa escola fica perto daqui. = Our school is near here.

So Nosso apartamento fica perto da estação sounds very natural for saying where something is.

For location of buildings, places, businesses, and similar things, Portuguese very often uses ficar.

So:

• Nosso apartamento fica perto da estação. = Our apartment is located near the station.

Using é here would usually sound wrong for location.

Using está is possible in some contexts, but it usually suggests a more temporary situation or just focuses on where something is at the moment. For a fixed place like an apartment, fica is the most natural choice.

A useful shortcut:

• ficar = to be located
• estar = to be / to be currently
• ser = to be (identity, characteristics, etc.)

Because de + a contracts to da in Portuguese.

So:

• de + a = da
• de + o = do
• de + as = das
• de + os = dos

Since perto normally takes de, you get:

• perto de a estação → perto da estação

This contraction is required in normal Portuguese.

Portuguese uses definite articles much more often than English does.

So where English says:

• near the station

Portuguese says:

• perto da estação

Even when English might sometimes omit an article in other contexts, Portuguese often keeps it. With a noun like estação, using the article is very normal.

In this kind of sentence, it works as part of the expression perto de, which means near or close to.

So you should learn it as a chunk:

• perto de = near
• longe de = far from

Examples:

• perto de casa = near home
• perto do mercado = near the market
• longe da praia = far from the beach

So in your sentence:

• fica perto da estação = is near the station

Yes. Both are possible.

In Brazilian Portuguese, possessives are often used with the definite article:

• O nosso apartamento fica perto da estação.

But it is also very common to omit the article:

• Nosso apartamento fica perto da estação.

Both sound natural. The version with the article can sound a little fuller or more explicit, but the meaning is the same here.

Because this is the normal word order in Portuguese: subject + verb + complement.

So the structure is:

• Nosso apartamento = subject
• fica = verb
• perto da estação = location/complement

This is the same basic order as English:

• Our apartment / is located / near the station

Usually, in a basic sentence like this, nosso apartamento is the normal choice.

Portuguese sometimes allows possessives after the noun, but that position usually adds a special tone, contrast, or stylistic effect. For a neutral statement, use:

• nosso apartamento

not usually:

• apartamento nosso

So for everyday learning, stick with nosso apartamento.

Estação is pronounced roughly like eh-sta-SOWN, though the final sound is nasal and does not match English exactly.

Two key spelling points:

• ç = an s sound, so estação has an s sound in the middle.
• ão = a very common Portuguese nasal ending, heard in words like:
  • não
  • pão
  • estação

So estação sounds approximately like eh-sta-SOWN, but with a nasal ending.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

NOH-so ah-par-ta-MEN-too FEE-kah PEHR-too dah es-ta-SOWN

A few notes:

• Nosso = stress on the first syllable
• apartamento = stress on men
• fica = stress on fi
• perto = stress on per
• estação = stress on the last syllable

Also, in natural speech, Brazilians may link words smoothly, so perto da estação can sound quite connected.

Yes. Perto de and próximo de can both mean near.

So these are both fine:

• Nosso apartamento fica perto da estação.
• Nosso apartamento fica próximo da estação.

Perto is usually more common in everyday speech. Próximo can sound a little more formal or written, depending on context.

It breaks down like this:

• Nosso = our
• apartamento = apartment
• fica = is located
• perto de = near
• a estação = the station
• de + a = da

So the full structure is:

[possessive + noun] + [verb] + [location expression]

or more specifically:

Nosso apartamento + fica + perto da estação

This is a very useful pattern you can reuse:

• Minha casa fica longe do centro.
• O banco fica perto do supermercado.
• Nosso escritório fica ao lado da praça.