Há uma goteira pequena junto à janela da cozinha, por isso pus uma panela no chão.

Há is the verb haver used in the sense of there is / there are.

So:

• Há uma goteira = There is a leak
• literally, this is like saying there exists a leak

In European Portuguese, há is very common for stating that something exists or is present. You may also hear tem in spoken Portuguese in some contexts, but há is the more standard written form here.

A useful point: in this use, há does not really have a subject in the normal sense, so it stays in the singular:

• Há uma goteira
• Há duas goteiras

not hão.

Goteira means a leak, especially one where water is dripping from a roof, ceiling, or similar place.

It comes from the idea of dripping. So this is not just any kind of damage: it usually suggests water coming through and dripping down.

Depending on context, an English speaker might think of:

• a leak
• a drip
• a roof leak
• a ceiling leak

Here, because of pus uma panela no chão, it clearly means a leak that is dripping water indoors.

In Portuguese, adjectives often come after the noun:

• uma goteira pequena = a small leak

That is the most neutral and normal order here.

If you put the adjective before the noun, it can sometimes sound more literary, emphatic, or slightly different in tone. For a beginner, the safest pattern is:

• noun + adjective

Examples:

• uma casa grande = a big house
• um problema sério = a serious problem
• uma goteira pequena = a small leak

Junto à means next to, beside, or by.

So:

• junto à janela = next to the window / by the window

It is a common expression in European Portuguese.

You may also see:

• junto de
• ao lado de
• sometimes perto de, though that is usually more like near rather than directly beside

In this sentence, junto à janela da cozinha means the leak is located near that kitchen window.

Because junto is followed by the preposition a, and janela takes the feminine article a:

• a
  • a = à

So:

• junto a a janela becomes junto à janela

This is a contraction, just like:

• de + a = da
• em + o = no

A few related examples:

• à porta = to / at the door
• junto à mesa = next to the table
• fui à praia = I went to the beach

The accent in à is important because it shows that contraction.

Da cozinha means of the kitchen.

So:

• a janela da cozinha = the kitchen window
• literally: the window of the kitchen

Portuguese very often expresses this kind of relationship with de:

• a porta da casa = the house door / the door of the house
• o carro do João = João’s car
• a janela da cozinha = the kitchen window

English often uses noun + noun, but Portuguese usually uses de.

Also note the contraction:

• de + a = da

Por isso means therefore, so, because of that, or for that reason.

In this sentence:

• Há uma goteira pequena junto à janela da cozinha, por isso pus uma panela no chão.
• There is a small leak by the kitchen window, so I put a pot on the floor.

It links the two ideas:

1. there is a leak
2. as a result, I put a pot on the floor

It is a very common connector in Portuguese.

Other similar connectors:

• por isso = so / therefore
• então = so / then
• por causa disso = because of that

Pus is the 1st person singular preterite of the verb pôr, which means to put.

So:

• pus = I put

This is an irregular verb, so learners often find it tricky.

Some useful forms of pôr:

• eu ponho = I put / I am putting
• eu pus = I put
• eu punha = I used to put / I was putting
• eu vou pôr = I am going to put

In this sentence, pus uma panela no chão means I put a pot on the floor.

Both can work, but they are not exactly the same in feel.

• pus comes from pôr = to put
• coloquei comes from colocar = to place / to put

In many everyday situations, pôr is very natural and common, especially in speech. Colocar can sound a little more formal or more neutral depending on context.

So:

• pus uma panela no chão = very natural
• coloquei uma panela no chão = also correct

A learner should know both, but pôr is especially useful because native speakers use it a lot.

Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

So:

• pus already tells you the subject is eu = I

You could say:

• eu pus uma panela no chão

but it is not necessary unless you want emphasis, contrast, or extra clarity.

This is very different from English, where you normally must say I put.

Panela usually means a pot or cooking pot. In some contexts, English may translate it as pan, but pot is often better here.

Since the idea is catching water from a leak, an English speaker would probably most naturally say:

• I put a pot on the floor or
• I put a saucepan on the floor

So yes, panela is a kitchen container, but the best English word depends on context. Here, pot is likely the best match.

No is a contraction of:

• em + o = no

And chão means floor or ground, depending on context.

So:

• no chão = on the floor / literally in the floor area

Portuguese often uses em where English uses on:

• no chão = on the floor
• na mesa can mean on the table, depending on context

This is a very common difference between the two languages.

It can mean both, depending on context.

• indoors, chão often means floor
• outdoors, it can mean ground

Examples:

• A panela está no chão da cozinha. = The pot is on the kitchen floor.
• O cão está deitado no chão. = The dog is lying on the ground / floor.

In your sentence, because the setting is inside the kitchen, floor is the natural meaning.

Yes, junto da janela can also be heard and understood. However, junto à janela is a very standard and natural choice, especially in careful European Portuguese.

So both may appear, but:

• junto à janela = very standard for next to the window
• junto da janela = also possible in real usage

As a learner of European Portuguese, junto à is a good pattern to remember.

The comma separates the cause from the result:

• Há uma goteira pequena junto à janela da cozinha, por isso pus uma panela no chão.

This helps show the structure:

1. situation: there is a leak
2. consequence: I put a pot on the floor

With connectors like por isso, a comma is very common and natural in writing.

The written sentence is already natural, but in speech you might hear small variations, such as:

• Há uma goteira pequena junto à janela da cozinha, por isso pus uma panela no chão.
• Há uma goteira ao pé da janela da cozinha, por isso pus uma panela no chão.
• Como há uma goteira junto à janela da cozinha, pus uma panela no chão.

You might also hear a less formal word order or slightly different vocabulary in conversation, but the original sentence is perfectly good European Portuguese.