Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): A bebida está na garagem, dentro do frigorífico extra. - The drink is in the garage, inside the extra fridge.

Frigorífico means refrigerator in European Portuguese, and extra here means additional. So frigorífico extra is an extra refrigerator, usually kept somewhere like a garage or basement for overflow storage.

Why is there a definite article before frigorífico extra (i.e., o frigorífico extra)?

In Portuguese, we generally use definite articles before singular countable nouns, even if in English you might drop them. So you say o frigorífico (“the refrigerator”) rather than just frigorífico. It marks that you’re referring to a specific extra fridge.

How does na garagem work? Why not just em garagem?

Na is a contraction of em + a.
• em = “in”
• a = feminine definite article “the”
So em + a garagem becomes na garagem, meaning in the garage. You need the article because garagem is feminine and countable.

Why is there a comma before dentro do frigorífico extra?

The comma separates the main clause (A bebida está na garagem) from the additional information about where exactly in the garage (dentro do frigorífico extra). It’s optional but helps clarity, especially in longer sentences.

Could I say A bebida está no frigorífico extra da garagem instead?

Yes. That’s perfectly correct. Portuguese allows you to merge the phrases:
• no = em + o
So no frigorífico extra da garagem means in the extra refrigerator of the garage. It’s a bit more compact.

What’s the difference between no frigorífico and dentro do frigorífico?

• no frigorífico = in the fridge (general location)
• dentro do frigorífico = inside the fridge (emphasizes being inside rather than e.g. on top)
Both are correct; dentro just adds precision.

Is frigorífico used everywhere in Portuguese?

In European Portuguese yes, frigorífico is the standard word for refrigerator. In Brazilian Portuguese people usually say geladeira, although frigorífico is understood there too.

How do you pronounce frigorífico and where is the stress?

You pronounce it as [fri-go-RI-fi-co], with the primary stress on the third syllable: -RI-. Each i sounds like the ee in see, and the g is a soft ɡ as in go.

Could I make A bebida plural and say As bebidas estão na garagem…?

Yes, if you’re talking about multiple drinks you change both noun and verb to plural:
As bebidas estão na garagem, dentro do frigorífico extra.
Notice a bebida está (singular) becomes as bebidas estão (plural).