Breakdown of A mesa castanha está na sala.
a mesa
the table
estar
to be (temporary / location)
na
in the / on the / at the (f.sg)
a sala
the living room
castanho
brown
Questions & Answers about A mesa castanha está na sala.
Why is it mesa castanha instead of "castanha mesa"?
In Portuguese, adjectives (describing words) usually come after the noun they describe. Also, because mesa (table) is a feminine noun, the adjective changes its ending to match, becoming castanha instead of the masculine castanho.
Why do we use está for "is" here, instead of é?
To talk about where something is located, Portuguese uses the verb estar (which means "to be" for locations and temporary states). Even if the table never leaves the living room, physical location always takes estar, so we use está ("it is"). You would use é (from the verb ser) for permanent characteristics, like saying the table is wooden.
Where does the word na come from?
Does sala always mean "living room"?
By itself in everyday conversation, sala usually refers to the living room. However, its broad meaning is just "room" (usually a common room, not a bedroom). You will often see it used to describe other specific rooms, like sala de jantar (dining room) or sala de aula (classroom).
Learn A mesa castanha está na sala 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