Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Onde estão os papéis brancos?

When a Portuguese word ends in the consonant -l, you usually form the plural by dropping the -l and adding -is. This is why papel (paper) becomes papéis (papers).

Why does papéis have an accent mark when the singular papel doesn't?

In the singular word papel, the spoken stress naturally falls on the last syllable because words ending in -l are stressed at the end. When it changes to papéis, we need to add an accent mark to show that the stress stays on that same open 'e' sound.

Why do we use estão instead of são for 'are' in this sentence?

We use estão (from the verb estar) because we are asking about the physical location of the papers. In Portuguese, we use estar to talk about where something is, even if it usually lives in that spot.

Why is the word for white written as brancos here?

Adjectives in Portuguese have to match the noun they describe. Because os papéis is masculine and plural, the adjective branco (white) must also take the masculine plural form, becoming brancos.