Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Só ele está aqui.

Só ele está aqui.

Only he is here.

Breakdown of Só ele está aqui.

to be (temporary / location)

só

only

Questions & Answers about Só ele está aqui.

Why do we use está instead of é in this sentence?

Both mean "is", but we use está (from the verb estar) to talk about physical locations or temporary states. Since the sentence tells us where he is right now (aqui meaning "here"), está is the correct choice.

Does só have other meanings besides "only"?

Yes! While here it acts as an adverb meaning "only" or "just", só can also be an adjective meaning "alone". For example, if you change the word order to ele está só, it means "he is alone".

How would I make this sentence negative using the rules from this lesson?

To say "Only he is not here", you place the negative word não directly before the verb, like normal: Só ele não está aqui. Notice how the negative word goes before the verb, but after the subject (ele).

Can I use apenas instead of só?

Yes, apenas is another word for "only" and means the exact same thing in this context. Apenas ele está aqui is perfectly correct, though só is shorter and very common in everyday spoken Portuguese.