Meus óculos estão ali na mesa, ao lado do jornal.

In everyday Portuguese, óculos normally refers to one pair of glasses, even though the noun is grammatically plural.

So:

• meus óculos = my glasses / my pair of glasses

This is similar to English, where glasses is also plural.

Because óculos is treated as plural, the other words around it also go plural:

• meus = my, masculine plural
• estão = are, plural

There is a singular form óculo, but it is not what people normally use for everyday glasses.

Because meus has to agree with óculos.

Óculos is:

• masculine
• plural

So the possessive must also be masculine plural:

• meu = my, masculine singular
• minha = my, feminine singular
• meus = my, masculine plural
• minhas = my, feminine plural

Since the noun is óculos, the correct form is meus.

Because the subject meus óculos is grammatically plural.

The verb estar must agree with the subject:

• meus óculos estão
• not meus óculos está

Even if you mean just one pair of glasses, Portuguese still treats óculos as plural for agreement.

Portuguese normally uses estar for location:

• Meus óculos estão na mesa. = My glasses are on the table.

That is why estão appears here.

A useful rule:

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

So for where something is, estar is the usual choice.

This is a very common question for English speakers.

In Portuguese, em often covers ideas that English separates into in, on, and sometimes at, depending on context.

So:

• na mesa can mean on the table

It does not usually suggest that the glasses are somehow inside the table.

Portuguese often uses:

• no chão = on the floor
• na parede = on the wall
• na mesa = on the table

If you want to be extra explicit about physical position on top of a surface, you can also use sobre a mesa, but na mesa is very natural and common.

Na is a contraction:

• em + a = na

Here:

• em = in / on / at
• a = the, feminine singular

So:

• na mesa = em a mesa = on the table

Portuguese uses these contractions very often, and they are required in normal usage.

Ali means something like there, usually over there / in that spot.

A very simple way to think about these words:

• aqui = here, near me
• aí = there, near you
• ali = there, over there, not right by either of us
• lá = there, farther away / more generally there

In this sentence, ali helps point out the location: over there on the table.

So the sentence feels a bit like:

• My glasses are over there on the table, next to the newspaper.

Ao lado de is a very common expression meaning next to or beside.

In the sentence, it appears as:

• ao lado do jornal

This breaks down like this:

• a + o = ao
• de + o = do

So:

• ao lado do jornal = next to the newspaper

You can think of ao lado de as a fixed phrase you learn as a whole.

Examples:

• ao lado da cadeira = next to the chair
• ao lado da porta = next to the door
• ao lado do jornal = next to the newspaper

Because Portuguese often uses an article where English would not.

So:

• do jornal = de + o jornal = of the newspaper / next to the newspaper

In this sentence, the speaker is probably referring to a specific newspaper that is there on the table.

Without the article, ao lado de jornal, it would sound unusual in this context.

Yes. That is also possible.

With possessives in Portuguese, the definite article is often:

• used: os meus óculos
• omitted: meus óculos

In Brazilian Portuguese, both can be natural, and usage varies by region, style, and personal preference.

So both of these work:

• Meus óculos estão ali na mesa.
• Os meus óculos estão ali na mesa.

The version without the article is perfectly normal.

Both are possible, but they do slightly different things.

• na mesa simply gives the location
• ali na mesa gives a pointing effect: there on the table

So ali adds a sense of gesture or direction, as if the speaker were indicating the place.

Compare:

• Meus óculos estão na mesa. = My glasses are on the table.
• Meus óculos estão ali na mesa. = My glasses are there on the table.

It is not absolutely necessary in every informal context, but it is very natural here.

The comma helps separate:

• the main location: ali na mesa
• the extra detail: ao lado do jornal

So it makes the sentence easier to read and slightly clearer:

• Meus óculos estão ali na mesa, ao lado do jornal.

Without the comma, the meaning is still basically the same.