Eu coloco o travesseiro no sofá.

I put the pillow on the sofa.

Breakdown of Eu coloco o travesseiro no sofá.

• eu: I
• em: on
• colocar: to put
• o sofá: the sofa
• o travesseiro: the pillow

Questions & Answers about Eu coloco o travesseiro no sofá.

Why does the sentence use o travesseiro instead of just travesseiro?

In European Portuguese, definite articles are normally required before specific nouns.

• o is the masculine singular definite article, so o travesseiro = “the pillow.”
• Dropping the article (just travesseiro) sounds odd in regular speech.
• If you meant “a pillow” (any pillow), you would say um travesseiro instead.

Why is it no sofá instead of em o sofá?

Portuguese contracts certain prepositions with articles:

• em (in/on) + o (the) → no.
• So em o sofá becomes no sofá, which here means “on the sofa.”
• Context tells you whether em means “in” or “on”—here it clearly means “on.”

Can I use pôr instead of colocar? What’s the difference?

Both verbs translate as “to put,” but they differ slightly:

• colocar is regular: eu coloco, tu colocas…
• pôr is irregular: eu ponho, tu pões…
• Meaning-wise they’re interchangeable:
  • Eu coloco o travesseiro no sofá.
  • Eu ponho o travesseiro no sofá.
• pôr is a bit more colloquial and shorter; colocar may sound more neutral or formal.

Do I need to include Eu before coloco? English often omits “I.”

Portuguese is a pro‑drop language: the verb ending -o already indicates eu (“I”).

• You can say simply Coloco o travesseiro no sofá.
• Include Eu only for emphasis or clarity (e.g. contrasting with someone else).

How do you pronounce travesseiro and sofá? Where is the stress?

• travesseiro: /tɾɐ.ve.ˈsej.ɾu/
  (stress on the -sei- syllable)
• sofá: /so.ˈfa/
  (stress on the final -fá; the acute accent marks it)

What is the gender of travesseiro, and how can I tell?

Travesseiro is masculine, so it takes o in the singular.

• As a rule of thumb, most Portuguese nouns ending in -o are masculine.
• There are exceptions, so when in doubt, check a dictionary.

Could I say sobre o sofá or em cima do sofá instead of no sofá?

Yes. All three express “on the sofa,” but with minor style differences:

• no sofá (most common, neutral)
• sobre o sofá (slightly more formal or literary)
• em cima do sofá (colloquial, emphasizes “on top”)
  Example: Coloco o travesseiro em cima do sofá.

Can I change the word order to No sofá coloco o travesseiro?

Yes, Portuguese allows some flexibility for emphasis.

• No sofá, coloco o travesseiro.
  (emphasizes the location)
• Standard neutral order remains Coloco o travesseiro no sofá.

How do I say “my pillow” here?

Use the possessive adjective agreeing with travesseiro (masculine singular):

• o meu travesseiro = “my pillow.”
  Full sentence: Eu coloco o meu travesseiro no sofá.