Breakdown of A praia está a dez quilómetros.
estar
to be (temporary / location)
dez
ten
a
to / at (direction)
a praia
the beach
Questions & Answers about A praia está a dez quilómetros.
Why do we use está instead of é if the beach's location is permanent?
Why is there an a before dez quilómetros?
The preposition a is used to express distance. While in English you say something is ten kilometres away, in Portuguese you literally say it is at ten kilometres (está a dez quilómetros).
Is there a Portuguese word for away in this sentence?
No, you do not need a word for away here. The structure está a plus the distance is all you need to convey that meaning.
How do I pronounce the S at the end of quilómetros?
In European Portuguese, an S at the end of a word is usually pronounced like an English sh sound. So, quilómetros ends with a sh sound.