Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O gato está ali, no jardim.

O gato está ali, no jardim.

The cat is there, in the garden.

Breakdown of O gato está ali, no jardim.

to be (temporary / location)

in the / on the / at the (m, f, pl forms: na, nos, nas)

Questions & Answers about O gato está ali, no jardim.

Why do we use está instead of é to say the cat is there?

In Portuguese, we use estar (which becomes está for he/she/it) to talk about physical locations. Even though a garden does not move, being located somewhere is always expressed with the temporary verb estar, never the permanent verb ser.

Where does the word no come from in no jardim?

The word no is a contraction of the preposition em (meaning in, on, or at) and the masculine definite article o (meaning the). Because jardim is a masculine noun, we combine them into no to say in the.

Could I use lá instead of ali to say there?

You could, but they give a different sense of distance. ali usually means over there when the object is relatively close or within sight. lá implies something is further away. If you are pointing at the cat in the garden, ali is the most natural choice.

Why is there a comma after ali?

The comma is used just like in English to separate the two location phrases. First you point out the general spot with ali, and then you clarify exactly where that is with no jardim.