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O pacote de leite está na mesa.

O pacote de leite está na mesa.
The packet of milk is on the table.
From Lesson 133:As medidas e as quantidades (a dúzia, tanto)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about O pacote de leite está na mesa.

Why do we use está instead of é for "is" here?
We use está (from the verb estar) because it describes the temporary location of an object. The milk carton is on the table right now, but that is not its permanent home. If we were describing a permanent characteristic or a permanent location of a building, we would use é (from ser).
Why is it na mesa for "on the table"? Doesn't na mean "in the"?
The word na is a contraction of the preposition em (which can mean in, on, or at) and the feminine word for the (a). Portuguese doesn't have separate common prepositions for "in" and "on", so na mesa is the standard way to say "on the table".
Why is it pacote de leite and not pacote do leite?
We use just de (of) when describing the category or type of an object. It tells us what kind of packet it is (a milk packet). If we used do (de + o), it would mean "of the milk", sounding like the packet belongs to a specific batch of milk we were already discussing.
Does pacote always translate to "packet"?
While pacote often means packet or package, in Portugal, milk usually comes in cardboard Tetra Pak containers. Because of this, a pacote de leite is exactly what English speakers would normally call a carton of milk.

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