In Portuguese, the prepositions em (in, on, at) and de (of, from, about) merge directly with demonstratives to form single words. Like the base demonstratives (este, esse, aquele), these contractions must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
Contractions with "Este" (This)
Merge em or de with este for objects close to you (the speaker).
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|
| em + este | neste | nesta |
| de + este | deste | desta |
(For plurals, simply add an -s: *nestes, nestas, destes, destas).*
Contractions with "Esse" (That - near listener)
Merge em or de with esse for objects close to the person you are talking to.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|
| em + esse | nesse | nessa |
| de + esse | desse | dessa |
(Plurals: *nesses, nessas, desses, dessas).*
Notice how de often translates to "about" when used with verbs of communication:
Contractions with "Aquele" (That over there - far)
Merge em or de with aquele for objects far away from both of you.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|
| em + aquele | naquele | naquela |
| de + aquele | daquele | daquela |
(Plurals: *naqueles, naquelas, daqueles, daquelas).*
