A distância entre a casa do Pedro e o mercado é pequena.

The distance between Pedro's house and the market is small.

Breakdown of A distância entre a casa do Pedro e o mercado é pequena.

• ser: to be
• Pedro: Pedro
• de: of
• a casa: the house
• e: and
• o mercado: the market
• entre: between
• pequeno: small
• a distância: the distance

Questions & Answers about A distância entre a casa do Pedro e o mercado é pequena.

Is this sentence literally “The distance between the house of Pedro and the market is small”? Is that a normal way to say it in Portuguese?

Yes, the word‑for‑word structure is very similar to English:

• A distância – the distance
• entre – between
• a casa do Pedro – the house of Pedro / Pedro’s house
• e o mercado – and the market
• é pequena – is small

This is a perfectly normal, natural sentence in European Portuguese.
Another very common alternative is:

• A distância entre a casa do Pedro e o mercado é curta.
  (literally: the distance … is short)

Why do we say a distância and not just distância without the article?

In Portuguese, singular countable nouns almost always need an article (or another determiner).

So where English often says:

• Distance between X and Y is small

Portuguese normally needs:

• A distância entre X e Y é pequena.

The definite article a here can mean:

• a specific distance we’re talking about (the one between the house and the market), or
• distance as a general concept in this context (still usually with an article in Portuguese).

Leaving the article out (∗Distância entre a casa do Pedro…) would sound ungrammatical in standard Portuguese.

Why is it a casa do Pedro and not something like a casa de Pedro or a casa da Pedro?

Several things are going on:

1. Possession with “de”
   Portuguese uses de for possession:

   • a casa de alguém – someone’s house

2. Contraction “do” = de + o
   In European Portuguese, first names normally take a definite article:

   • o Pedro, a Maria, o João, a Ana

   When de comes before o Pedro, it contracts:

   • de + o Pedro → do Pedro

   So:

   • a casa do Pedro = the house of (the) Pedro = Pedro’s house.

3. Why not “da Pedro”?

   • da = de + a (feminine article).
     Pedro is grammatically masculine, so you must use o → do, not a → da.

4. What about “a casa de Pedro”?

   • a casa de Pedro is grammatically correct, but sounds more formal/literary or like something from written narrative (especially with full names: a casa de Pedro Silva).
     In everyday spoken European Portuguese, a casa do Pedro is the natural choice.

Why is there no visible article before Pedro, but there is one before mercado (o mercado)?

There is an article with Pedro, but it’s hidden inside the contraction:

• do Pedro = de + o Pedro
  Here o is the article.

With mercado you simply see the article directly:

• o mercado – the market

So the pattern is:

• a casa do Pedro – the house of (the) Pedro
• o mercado – the market

Is entre … e … the standard way to say “between X and Y”? Could I say entre a casa do Pedro ao mercado?

Yes, entre X e Y is the standard structure for “between X and Y”:

• entre a casa do Pedro e o mercado – between Pedro’s house and the market

You cannot mix entre with a/ao like ∗entre a casa do Pedro ao mercado. That sounds wrong.

If you want a “from … to …” idea, you use a different pattern:

• da casa do Pedro ao mercado – from Pedro’s house to the market
  (de … a …, with contractions: da, ao)

So:

• entre X e Y = between X and Y
• de X a Y (often de X até Y) = from X to Y

Why is the adjective pequena and not pequeno?

Adjectives in Portuguese must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

• distância is feminine singular (you see it from the article a).
• Therefore the adjective must also be feminine singular: pequena.

If the noun were masculine, you’d use pequeno:

• O mercado é pequeno. – The market is small.
• A distância é pequena. – The distance is small.

Why is it é pequena and not está pequena? What’s the difference?

In Portuguese:

• ser (here: é) is used for permanent or inherent characteristics.
• estar (here: está) is for temporary states or changes from the normal situation.

Distance is considered a fixed, objective property, not something that temporarily changes. So:

• A distância … é pequena. – The distance is (inherently) small. ✅
• ∗A distância … está pequena. – Sounds odd, as if distance had suddenly “become small”.

You use está pequeno/pequena for things whose size or condition can change:

• O rio está pequeno este ano. – The river is small this year.
  (i.e. lower than usual, temporary state)

For distances, you almost always use é, not está.

Can I change the word order to A distância é pequena entre a casa do Pedro e o mercado?

Yes, that is grammatically correct, and people do say it. But:

• A distância entre a casa do Pedro e o mercado é pequena.
  sounds smoother and is the most natural order.

Putting entre… right after distância keeps the phrase tight and clear.
Your alternative is fine, but the original is the default style.

Why is it o mercado and not just mercado? Can I omit the article?

Portuguese normally uses an article with singular countable nouns, even when English does not:

• Vou ao mercado. – I’m going to (the) market.
• O mercado é grande. – The market is big.

In this sentence, we are talking about a specific, known market (the one near Pedro’s house), so o mercado is expected.

You could sometimes omit the article in titles, signs, or very telegraphic language, but in a normal sentence like this, leaving it out (∗… entre a casa do Pedro e mercado …) sounds wrong.

Is there a more everyday way to say this idea, like “Pedro’s house is near the market”?

Yes, Portuguese often prefers to talk about being near / far rather than explicitly mentioning “distance”:

• A casa do Pedro fica perto do mercado. – Pedro’s house is near the market.
• A casa do Pedro é perto do mercado. – used in some regions, but fica perto is more natural in EP.
• O mercado fica perto da casa do Pedro. – The market is near Pedro’s house.

Your original sentence focuses on the distance as an object.
These versions focus on location (“near”) instead, which is very common in speech.

How do you pronounce distância, Pedro, and mercado in European Portuguese?

Approximate pronunciations (EP):

• distância → /diʃˈtɐ̃.si.ɐ/

  • di like dee
  • ʃ like English sh in she
  • tã: nasal vowel, like tuhn but shorter
  • stress on -tân-: diSTÂNcia

• Pedro → /ˈpe.dɾu/

  • pe like peh
  • dr is a tapped r (single quick r), similar to the Spanish r in pero: PE-dro

• mercado → /mɨɾˈka.du/ (EP)

  • me is a very reduced vowel, like a quick, central m-sound: mɨ
  • stress on -ca-: merCÁdo
  • final do is like doo but quick

All vowels are generally shorter than in English, and the r in the middle of words is a tap.

Could I also use curta instead of pequena? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can:

• A distância entre a casa do Pedro e o mercado é curta.

Both pequena and curta work, but there’s a nuance:

• pequena – literally “small”; more general.
• curta – literally “short”; slightly more “technical” or precise for distances, routes, times.

In practice, curta often sounds a bit more natural when talking about distance:

• A distância é curta. – The distance is short.
• A fila é pequena. – The queue is small.
• A viagem é curta. – The trip is short.