Breakdown of A chave está dentro da gaveta.
a chave
the key
estar
to be (temporary / location)
a gaveta
the drawer
dentro de
inside / within (a timeframe)
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?
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?