Breakdown of O apagador está ao lado do quadro.
estar
to be (temporary / location)
ao lado de
next to
o quadro
the painting
o apagador
the board eraser
Questions & Answers about O apagador está ao lado do quadro.
Why do we say ao lado do instead of just "next to the"?
In Portuguese, the phrase for "next to" or "beside" is ao lado de (literally "at the side of"). Because quadro is a masculine noun, the preposition de combines with the word o ("the") to make do.
Why use está instead of é to say where the eraser is?
Is apagador related to the verb apagar that means "to turn off"?
Yes! The verb apagar means both "to turn off" (like a light) and "to erase". An apagador is an eraser for a chalkboard or whiteboard. If you need a rubber pencil eraser, you would ask for a borracha.
Does quadro only mean a classroom board?
It is the standard word for a chalkboard or whiteboard in this context, but quadro is a versatile word. It can also mean a "painting", a "picture frame", or a "chart" in a document.