Breakdown of Aqui há carros nas ruas.
o carro
the car
aqui
here
haver
to be (there is / there are)
a rua
the street
nas
in the / on the / at the (f.pl)
Questions & Answers about Aqui há carros nas ruas.
Why is it nas ruas instead of just em as ruas?
In Portuguese, the preposition em (in/on/at) must merge with the definite article (the) that follows it. Since ruas (streets) is feminine and plural, we use the article as. When em combines with as, it creates the mandatory contraction nas (in the).
How do I know whether to use no, na, nos, or nas here?
The contraction always has to match the gender and number of the noun that comes right after it. Because ruas (streets) is feminine and plural, you must use the feminine plural form nas. If it were a masculine plural noun, you would use nos.
Why do we use the singular verb há when talking about plural carros (cars)?
Could I put Aqui at the end of the sentence instead?
Yes, Portuguese word order is quite flexible. Saying Há carros nas ruas aqui is also perfectly correct. Putting Aqui (here) at the beginning of the sentence just gives it a little extra emphasis.
Learn Aqui há carros nas ruas and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free