A1 · The prepositions
Place and direction: a, para, em
Your single « to » is two here, and the difference is whether you come back.
At a glance
- Remember
- a means there and back, para means there and stay.
- Form
- em casaat home
- Signal words
- em
- no
- na
- ao
- para
- de
- Trap
- Wrong:Vou de o comboio.Right:Vou de comboio.
Your turn
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The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese.
| at home | em casa |
| on the train | no comboio |
| I am going to the market | vou ao mercado |
| I am moving to Lisbon | vou para Lisboa |
| I am from Berlin | sou de Berlim |
| by train, on foot | de comboio, a pé |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
em is the place.
Estamos no café.We are at the café.
a is the direction with a return, para the one that stays.
Vou ao Porto no sábado.I am going to Porto on Saturday.
de carries origin and possession.
É o livro da Ana.That is Ana's book.
Before a means of transport de takes no article.
Vou de comboio.I am going by train.
Example sentences
Moro em Lisboa há dois anos.I have lived in Lisbon for two years.
Vamos para a praia e ficamos lá.We are going to the beach and staying there.
O comboio parte da estação central.The train leaves from the central station.
Vou de bicicleta, é mais rápido.I am going by bike, it is quicker.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
With a means of transport there is no article. Vou de o comboio is wrong twice over — the fusion is missing, and the article does not belong there at all. It is de comboio, exactly as English says « by train » and not « by the train ».
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Em is the place: estou em casa, moro em Lisboa, no comboio.
A is the direction with a return: vou ao mercado — there and back. Para is the direction that stays: vou para Lisboa — I am moving there. English says « to » for both and adds a whole clause when it needs to be precise — « I am going to Lisbon for good ». Here the preposition does that work, and a listener hears it.
De is the origin: sou de Berlim, venho do trabalho. And it carries possession, because there is no genitive: o carro do meu pai — no apostrophe anywhere in the language.
Before a means of transport de stands without an article: de comboio, de carro, de avião — but a pé. English uses « by » in the same slot, and « on foot », so the shape is familiar even though the words are not.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: ir · ser · ficar · haver · morar