The Third Verb for Location
You know estar for where people and things are right now. For places that do not move — buildings, streets, cities — European Portuguese prefers a third verb: to be located (of places) ficar
It is the standard way to ask where anything in town is:
| Where is the bank? — It is next to the pharmacy. | Onde fica o banco? — Fica ao lado da farmácia. |
| Where is the station? — It is to the right of the museum. | Onde fica a estação? — Fica à direita do museu. |
| Where is the supermarket? — It is far away. | Onde fica o supermercado? — Fica longe. |
It Conjugates Like Any -ar Verb
Ficar is regular: fica for one place, ficam for several. In practice you will use the third person almost exclusively — places rarely speak for themselves.
| The museum is in the center. | O museu fica no centro. |
| The school is next to the park. | A escola fica ao pé do parque. |
| The café is in front of the bank. | O café fica em frente do banco. |
ficar, ser or estar?
For a fixed place all three are heard — O banco fica/é/está ao lado da farmácia — but ficar is the most natural choice in questions and directions, and it never works for movable things: your keys estão on the table, they do not ficam there.
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