O comboio está parado na estação.

The train is stopped at the station.

Breakdown of O comboio está parado na estação.

• estar: to be
• em: at
• o comboio: the train
• a estação: the station
• parado: stopped

Questions & Answers about O comboio está parado na estação.

What does comboio mean exactly, and is it different from trem?

Comboio means train in European Portuguese.

In Brazilian Portuguese, people usually say trem instead.

• Portugal: comboio
  
  • Apanhar o comboio = to catch the train
• Brazil: trem
  
  • Pegar o trem = to catch the train

So if you are learning Portuguese from Portugal, use comboio.

Why do we say O comboio and not just Comboio está parado na estação?

Portuguese normally needs an article before most singular countable nouns, where English can drop it.

• O comboio = the train (a specific train)
• Um comboio = a train (some train, not specified)

Saying Comboio está parado na estação sounds incomplete or ungrammatical in standard Portuguese. You almost always need:

• O comboio está parado… (the train)
• or Um comboio está parado… (a train)

Here, because the sentence clearly refers to a specific train, O comboio is used.

Why is it está and not é in O comboio está parado na estação?

Portuguese uses:

• ser (é) for more permanent/defining characteristics
• estar (está) for temporary states, locations, and conditions

Being stopped in a station is a temporary state and a location:

• O comboio está parado na estação.
  The train is (currently) stopped in the station.

If you said O comboio é parado, it would sound like “The train is (by nature) a stopped thing,” which is not what you mean.

What exactly is parado here? A verb form or an adjective?

Parado is the past participle of parar (to stop), but in this sentence it functions as an adjective:

• parado = stopped / stationary

The structure is:

• estar + past participle used as an adjective
  → está parado = is stopped

Compare:

• O comboio parou na estação.
  The train stopped at the station. (action – completed)
• O comboio está parado na estação.
  The train is stopped in the station. (state/result)

Could I say O comboio pára na estação instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• O comboio está parado na estação.
  The train is (currently) stopped in the station.
  → describes the current state

• O comboio pára na estação. (modern spelling: para)
  The train stops at the station.
  → describes a habit/routine (e.g. every day, on this route, this train stops there)

So:

• está parado = state now
• (p)ara na estação = general fact / usual behaviour

Note: After the spelling reform, pára (verb) and para (preposition) both became para in writing, but pronunciation differs in context.

What does na mean in na estação, and why not just em a estação?

Na is a contraction:

• na = em + a
  
  • em = in / at / on
  • a = the (feminine singular)

So:

• em + a estação → na estação = in the / at the station

In normal speech and writing, this contraction is obligatory:

• ❌ em a estação
• ✅ na estação

Why is it na estação and not no estação?

Because estação is feminine:

• a estação = the station
• na estação = in/at the station (em + a)

If it were a masculine noun, you’d see:

• o (the, masculine)
• no = em + o

For example:

• o banco → no banco (in/at the bank)
• a estação → na estação (in/at the station)

Does estação always mean “station”? What about “season”?

Estação has two main meanings:

1. Station (especially a train station, often clear from context):

   • O comboio está parado na estação.
     The train is stopped in the station.

2. Season (of the year):

   • estação do ano = season of the year
   • estação do verão = summer season

In isolation, a estação near comboio will normally be understood as train station. In more formal speech you might also hear:

• estação de comboios = train station

Could I change the word order, like Na estação, o comboio está parado?

Yes. All of these are possible, with slightly different emphasis:

1. O comboio está parado na estação.
   Neutral, common order.

2. Na estação, o comboio está parado.
   Emphasises the location (“In the station, the train is stopped”).

3. O comboio na estação está parado.
   Emphasises which train you’re talking about, as if there were other trains:
   “The train in the station is stopped.”

All are grammatically correct in European Portuguese.

How would I say “The train is stopping at the station (right now)”?

To describe the ongoing action of stopping, European Portuguese normally uses estar a + infinitive:

• O comboio está a parar na estação.
  The train is stopping at the station (right now, in the process of stopping).

Compare:

• está a parar = is stopping (progressive action)
• está parado = is stopped (state/result)

What is the pronunciation of O comboio está parado na estação in European Portuguese?

Approximate guide (EP):

• O → like English oo in book, short [u]
• comboio → roughly kõ-BOY-oo
  
  • om = nasal, like French on
  • oi = like oy in boy
• está → sh-TAH (initial es- often sounds like sh before t)
• parado → pa-RA-doo (final -o often close to [u])
• na → na
• estação → esh-ta-SÃW
  
  • ç = s sound
  • ão = nasal sound, similar to French on or ow with the nose

Very rough English-style rendering:
“u kõ-BOY-oo sh-TAH pa-RA-doo na esh-ta-SÃW”

Can I drop está and just say O comboio parado na estação?

On its own, O comboio parado na estação is not a full sentence; it’s a noun phrase:

• Literally: “The train stopped in the station…”

You can use it as part of a bigger sentence:

• O comboio parado na estação é o último do dia.
  The train that is stopped in the station is the last one of the day.

To make a complete standalone statement, you need the verb:

• O comboio está parado na estação. ✅
  The train is stopped in the station.