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A chave está dentro da gaveta.

A chave está dentro da gaveta.
The key is inside the drawer.
From Lesson 30:Prepositions of place (ao lado de, em frente de...)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about A chave está dentro da gaveta.

Why does the sentence use da instead of just dentro a gaveta?
In Portuguese, the word dentro (inside) is almost always followed by de (of) when you name the object. When de meets the feminine word a (the), they squeeze together into the contraction da (of the). So, dentro da gaveta literally translates to 'inside of the drawer'.
Why do we use está for 'is' here, rather than é?
We use está (from the verb estar) because we are talking about a physical location. In Portuguese, you always use estar to say where something or someone is currently placed, while é (from the verb ser) is used for permanent traits or descriptions.
If I just wanted to say 'The key is inside' without mentioning the drawer, do I still use da?
No. If you don't mention the drawer, you also drop the da. You would simply say A chave está dentro. You only add de (or its contractions like da, do) when you are specifically naming what the item is inside of.
How do I know chave and gaveta are feminine words?
Gaveta ends in '-a', which is a very reliable clue that a word is feminine. Chave ends in '-e', which doesn't give a clear clue about its gender, so you just have to memorize that it takes the feminine word for 'the' (a). Both use feminine words in this sentence: A chave and da gaveta.

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