O berbequim está na garagem, ao lado do escadote e da porta.

Because estar is normally used for location.

• O berbequim está na garagem = The drill is in the garage
• ser would sound wrong here if you are simply saying where something is.

A useful rule is:

• ser = identity, definition, permanent characteristics
• estar = location, condition, state

So for where an object is, Portuguese usually uses estar.

Because na is a contraction of:

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

So:

• em + a = na

And since garagem is feminine, you get:

• na garagem = in the garage

Other similar contractions are:

• no = em + o
• nos = em + os
• nas = em + as

Yes. Portuguese uses definite articles much more often than English.

So O berbequim literally means the drill, and in many ordinary sentences Portuguese prefers that article where English might sometimes leave it out depending on context.

Here it sounds natural because we are talking about a specific drill.

Berbequim means drill, especially in European Portuguese.

This is a very useful vocabulary point because:

• In Portugal, berbequim is the normal everyday word.
• In Brazil, you are more likely to hear furadeira.

So this sentence sounds clearly European Portuguese.

Ao lado de means next to / beside.

It is built like this:

• ao = contraction of a + o
• lado = side
• de = of

So literally, ao lado de is something like at the side of, but in natural English it means next to or beside.

Then de + o = do, so:

• ao lado do escadote = next to the stepladder

This is a fixed expression, so it is best to learn it as a chunk:

• ao lado de = next to / beside

Because each noun keeps its own article, and the preposition is understood with each one.

• do escadote = of the stepladder
• da porta = of the door

So:

• ao lado do escadote e da porta = next to the stepladder and the door

Portuguese usually sounds more natural when the article is repeated like this, especially when the nouns have different genders:

• escadote is masculine → do
• porta is feminine → da

Not exactly.

• escada usually means stairs, staircase, or sometimes ladder in a more general sense
• escadote usually means a stepladder

So in this sentence, escadote is more specific. It suggests the fold-out ladder you might keep in a garage.

This is also a very European Portuguese kind of word.

Because grammatical gender in Portuguese is a property of the noun itself, and porta is feminine.

So it takes feminine forms:

• a porta = the door
• da porta = of the door

There is not always a logical reason you can guess from meaning alone, so gender often has to be learned together with the noun:

• a porta
• a garagem
• o berbequim
• o escadote

A good habit is to memorize nouns with their article.

The comma separates two location phrases:

• na garagem
• ao lado do escadote e da porta

It helps the sentence read more clearly:

• The drill is in the garage, next to the stepladder and the door.

In many cases, the comma could be omitted without changing the basic meaning:

• O berbequim está na garagem ao lado do escadote e da porta.

With the comma, the sentence is a little clearer and more natural in writing.

Yes, but the original order is the most neutral.

Neutral version:

• O berbequim está na garagem, ao lado do escadote e da porta.

You could also say:

• Na garagem, ao lado do escadote e da porta, está o berbequim.

That sounds more marked or literary, because it focuses first on the location.

For everyday speech, the original sentence is the safest pattern:

• subject + estar + location

A Brazilian speaker would understand it, but some words would usually be different.

A more Brazilian version might be:

• A furadeira está na garagem, ao lado da escada e da porta.

Main differences:

• berbequim → furadeira
• escadote → often escada or another regional term, depending on the exact kind of ladder

The grammar of the sentence stays basically the same.

Both can refer to closeness, but they are not exactly the same.

• ao lado de = right next to / beside
• perto de = near / close to

So in this sentence:

• ao lado do escadote e da porta suggests the drill is immediately beside them
• perto do escadote e da porta would be less exact, just somewhere near them

So ao lado de is stronger and more precise.

Yes, these contractions are normal, standard parts of Portuguese and should be pronounced as single units.

In this sentence, the important ones are:

• na
• ao
• do
• da

They are not optional shortcuts; they are the normal correct forms.

So you should learn and say the sentence with those contractions, not as separate words like em a garagem or de o escadote, which would be incorrect.