O restaurante fica ao lado da farmácia.

The restaurant is next to the pharmacy.

Breakdown of O restaurante fica ao lado da farmácia.

• o restaurante: the restaurant
• ficar: to be located
• a farmácia: the pharmacy
• ao lado de: next to

Questions & Answers about O restaurante fica ao lado da farmácia.

Why is the verb fica used in this sentence instead of é or está?

In European Portuguese, ficar is the go-to verb for indicating where something is located. Using fica here tells you the restaurant’s position. É expresses identity or qualities (e.g. O restaurante é italiano) and, although estar can sometimes mark location, native speakers prefer ficar for fixed or permanent places. Saying O restaurante está ao lado da farmácia isn’t wrong, but fica sounds far more idiomatic.

What does the phrase ao lado da mean, and how is it formed?

Ao lado de literally means “to the side of,” i.e. “next to” or “beside.” You start with the preposition a + the noun lado (side) and then use de to introduce the object. Because de + a contracts to da, you end up with ao lado da farmácia (“the restaurant is next to the pharmacy”).

Why do we see ao and da instead of writing a o and de a?

In Portuguese, certain prepositions and articles must contract:

• a + o → ao
• de + a → da
  These contractions are mandatory in European Portuguese, so you never write a o lado or de a farmácia.

Why are the articles o (before restaurante) and a (before farmácia) needed?

Portuguese generally requires definite articles before singular, specific nouns. O restaurante and a farmácia refer to particular places. Omitting them (e.g. Restaurante fica ao lado da farmácia) sounds unnatural or incomplete to native speakers.

How do I know that farmácia is feminine?

Many Portuguese nouns ending in -cia are feminine (for example, notícia, ciência). You can also spot its gender by checking the article: it’s a farmácia, not o farmácia. In the plural, it becomes as farmácias.

Can I use other expressions like perto da farmácia or junto à farmácia instead of ao lado da?

Yes. Each has a slightly different nuance:

• perto de = “near” (general proximity) → O restaurante fica perto da farmácia.
• junto a = “right next to” → contracts to junto à farmácia.

Both ao lado de and junto a imply immediate adjacency, whereas perto de just means “in the vicinity.”

Is it possible to say Restaurante fica ao lado da farmácia without the article before restaurante?

No. In European Portuguese, you almost always need the definite article before a known place or object. Leaving out o makes the sentence feel incomplete or ungrammatical.

How do I pronounce farmácia, and where is the stress?

In European Portuguese, farmácia is pronounced [fɐɾˈmasjɐ]. The stress falls on the second syllable -má-. The -cia ending sounds like [sjɐ], similar to an English “see-uh” run together.