Questions & Answers about O jardim está atrás.
Why do we use está (from estar) here instead of é (from ser)? Doesn't a garden stay in one place permanently?
While we usually learn early on that ser is for permanent things and estar is for temporary states, physical location is a big exception. In Portuguese, you almost always use estar to talk about where something is physically located, even if it is a permanent fixture like a garden or a building.
Could I use the verb ficar instead of estar in this sentence?
If I want to specify what the garden is behind (like 'behind the house'), how do I change the sentence?
You would need to add the preposition de (of) right after atrás. If you are saying 'behind the house' (a casa), you combine de and a to make da. The sentence becomes: O jardim está atrás da casa.
I've also seen the word trás for 'behind'. Why is it atrás here?
Atrás is an adverb used to describe where something is located on its own, meaning 'in the back' or 'behind'. Trás relates to the same concept but is almost always used together with other prepositions, like in the expressions para trás (backwards) or por trás (in the back of). When simply stating that something is located in the back, atrás is the word you need.
Learn O jardim está atrás and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free