Breakdown of O telemóvel não está no bolso, está no sofá.
não
not / no
o telemóvel
the mobile phone
estar
to be (temporary / location)
no
in the / on the / at the (m, f, pl forms: na, nos, nas)
Questions & Answers about O telemóvel não está no bolso, está no sofá.
Why does no mean "in the" for the pocket, but "on the" for the sofa?
In Portuguese, the preposition em (which combines with o to make no) is used for both "in" and "on" (as well as "at"). You don't have to worry about whether the phone is inside a space or resting on top of a surface; no covers both!
If the phone was in a bag (a mala) instead of a pocket, would I still use no?
Why do we use está instead of é for the phone's location?
The second part of the sentence just says está no sofá. Shouldn't there be a word for "it"?