The Preposition "a"
When talking about going "to" a place for a short visit or errand, we use the preposition a. Because Portuguese places have gender and number, they usually require a definite article ("the").
When the preposition a meets these articles (o, a, os, as), they merge into a single word. Notice that for feminine locations, a grave accent is added to show that the two "a"s have overlapped (à and às).
| Preposition + Article | Contraction | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a + o | ao | to the (m.sg) |
| a + a | à | to the (f.sg) |
| a + os | aos | to the (m.pl) |
| a + as | às | to the (f.pl) |
| I go to the museum today. | Eu vou ao museu hoje. |
| The students return to the library. | Os alunos voltam à biblioteca. |
| We go to the post office tomorrow. | Nós vamos aos correios amanhã. |
| She goes shopping with the family. | Ela vai às compras com a família. |
Combining Locations
If you are discussing multiple destinations, you must select the correct contraction for each location based on its specific gender and number.
| He goes to the gym and I go to the library. | Ele vai ao ginásio e eu vou à biblioteca. |
| At what time do you go to the gym? | A que horas vais ao ginásio? |
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