Learn Portuguese (Portugal): O jornal está na mesa.

In Portuguese, there are two verbs for the English verb to be: ser and estar. We use estar to talk about physical locations. Since the newspaper is currently located on the table, we use está.

Where does the word na come from?

The word na is a mandatory contraction (a combination) of the preposition em, which means in, on, or at, and the feminine definite article a, which means the. Because mesa is a feminine noun, they combine to form na.

If I want to talk about more than one newspaper, how do I make jornal plural?

Portuguese words ending in -l like jornal usually drop the -l and add -is to become plural. To say the newspapers are on the table, you would say os jornais estão na mesa.

Does the preposition em always translate to on?

No, em is a very flexible preposition that can mean in, on, or at depending on the context. Here, because a newspaper sits on top of a table, on makes the most sense in English.