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O banco fica à direita da igreja.

O banco fica à direita da igreja.
The bank is to the right of the church.
From Lesson 127:Virar à esquerda (as direções)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O banco fica à direita da igreja.

Why does the sentence use fica instead of está or é for 'is'?
In Portuguese, the verb ficar (which normally means 'to stay') is commonly used to describe the permanent location of a building, city, or place. You can also use está, but fica is much more natural when giving directions to a fixed landmark like a bank or a church.
Why does the 'a' in à direita have a backward accent?
That accent is called a grave accent, and it shows that two 'a's have merged into one. Here, it combines the preposition a (to/at) and the feminine 'the' from the phrase a direita. So, a + a = à.
Is direita related to the Portuguese word for 'straight'?
They look similar and come from the same root, but they mean different things when giving directions! Direita means 'right' (the opposite of left, esquerda). If you want to tell someone to go 'straight ahead', you use the masculine form direito (as in seguir direito).
Why is it da igreja and not just de igreja?
In Portuguese, we usually include the word 'the' when talking about specific places. Da is a contraction of de (of/from) and a (the, because igreja is feminine). Literally, it translates to 'of the church'.

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