Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O livro está em cima da cama.

O livro está em cima da cama.

The book is on top of the bed.

Breakdown of O livro está em cima da cama.

o livro

the book

estar

to be (temporary / location)

Questions & Answers about O livro está em cima da cama.

Why is it da instead of just de in em cima da?

The phrase for "on top of" is em cima de. Because cama (bed) is a feminine noun, we need the word for "the" (a). In Portuguese, de (of) and a (the) combine to make da ("of the").

Why do we use está for "is" here instead of é?

We use está (from the verb estar) to talk about the physical location of an object or person. Even if the book belongs in that room, location always takes estar, while é (from ser) is for permanent descriptions like what the book is made of.

Can I just use na cama instead of em cima da cama?

Yes, you can! O livro está na cama means "The book is on (or in) the bed." Using em cima da is just more specific, making it crystal clear that the book is resting on top of the covers, not tucked inside them.

What does the word cima mean by itself?

By itself, cima means "top" or "upper part". When you combine it with em (in/on), you get the phrase em cima, which is used to say something is above or on top.