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O edifício está entre o mercado e a escola.

O edifício está entre o mercado e a escola.
The building is between the market and the school.
FromLesson 24inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O edifício está entre o mercado e a escola.

Why do we need the definite articles o and a before mercado and escola?
Portuguese normally uses definite articles before nouns, especially after prepositions. In this sentence, entre (“between”) requires that each noun keep its article, matching gender and number. So you say entre o mercado e a escola, not just entre mercado e escola.
Can we replace está with fica or é?
Yes, estar and ficar both express location in Portuguese, so O edifício fica entre o mercado e a escola is perfectly natural. However, ser (é) typically describes identity or characteristics, not physical location, so O edifício é entre… would be incorrect.
Why doesn't entre contract with o to form entre-o?
Some prepositions (like de, a) contract with articles to form do, ao, etc. entre is not one of them. It remains separate, so you keep entre o, entre a, entre os, entre as, etc.
Could we use indefinite articles instead (like um mercado and uma escola)?
Yes, if you’re talking about any market and any school in a non-specific sense. The sentence would be O edifício está entre um mercado e uma escola. However, if you mean specific places known to speaker and listener, you use the definite articles o and a.
What is the difference between entre and no meio de?
entre means “between” and typically links exactly two elements: entre X e Y. no meio de means “in the middle of” and emphasizes being surrounded by something, which can be more than two items: e.g., O edifício está no meio dos prédios altos. You can also say O edifício está no meio do mercado e da escola, but that often stresses “in the midst” rather than just “between.”
Why does edifício have an acute accent on its í?
Portuguese words stressed on the antepenultimate (third-to-last) syllable—known as proparoxytone words—always carry a written accent. edifício is stressed on fí (e–di–FI–cio), so it needs the acute accent to mark stress.
Why is escola feminine and mercado masculine?
Most Portuguese nouns ending in –a are feminine (like escola), and those ending in –o are masculine (like mercado). There are exceptions, but this rule of thumb covers most cases.
Could we invert the sentence order to start with entre?
Yes. You can emphasize location by placing the prepositional phrase first: Entre o mercado e a escola está o edifício. It’s grammatically correct, though the neutral order O edifício está entre… is more common.
What is the difference between edifício and prédio?
Both mean “building,” but edifício is a general, somewhat more formal term, while prédio is common in spoken language (especially in Brazil) and often refers specifically to residential blocks. In Portugal, both words are used, though prédio often implies an apartment building.
Can we say Edifício está entre o mercado e a escola without O?
No. In Portuguese you generally use a definite article before a common noun in this context. Omitting o would sound unnatural and is considered ungrammatical here.
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