Learn Portuguese (Portugal): A torneira está na casa de banho.

A torneira está na casa de banho.

The tap is in the bathroom.

Breakdown of A torneira está na casa de banho.

estar

to be (temporary / location)

in the / on the / at the (f.sg)

Questions & Answers about A torneira está na casa de banho.

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

We use está (from the verb estar) because it describes a location. Even though a tap is permanently fixed in a bathroom, Portuguese always uses estar to say where something is physically located, rather than ser.

Where does the word na come from?

na means "in the". It is a required combination (contraction) of the preposition em (in/on/at) and the feminine singular word for "the", which is a (matching the feminine noun casa).

Does casa de banho literally mean "bath house"?

Almost! It literally translates to "house of bath". In European Portuguese, casa de banho is the standard everyday way to say "bathroom" or "restroom" in any building, not just places with an actual bathtub.

How would I use the current lesson's verb poder (can/may) to say "The tap can be in the bathroom"?

You would use the "it" form of poder, which is pode, followed by the infinitive (unchanged) form of the verb "to be". Because we are talking about location, that infinitive is estar. The sentence becomes: A torneira pode estar na casa de banho.