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O rio corre por baixo da ponte.

O rio corre por baixo da ponte.
The river runs under the bridge.
From Lesson 123:As preposições de lugar (entre, por cima de)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of O rio corre por baixo da ponte.

o rio
the river
correr
to run
por baixo de
under, underneath

Questions & Answers about O rio corre por baixo da ponte.

Why is "under" translated as por baixo de instead of just baixo?
The word baixo on its own is typically an adjective meaning "low" or "short". To say "under" or "underneath" when talking about physical location, you must use the full compound preposition por baixo de.
Does the verb correr (to run) work for rivers just like in English?
Yes! Just like in English, you can use correr to describe the flow of water. It is a great example of an expression that translates perfectly between the two languages.
I have also learned the word sob for "under". Could I use that here?
Yes, you could say sob a ponte. Both mean "under the bridge". However, sob is a bit more formal and literary, while por baixo de is very common and natural in everyday spoken Portuguese.
Why does the sentence use da instead of do before ponte?
The preposition de at the end of por baixo de has to combine with the word for "the". The word for bridge, ponte, is feminine (a ponte). Because words ending in "-e" do not have a strict gender rule, you just have to memorize their gender as you learn them. Combining de and a gives us da.

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