No, na, do, da, ao and à: Portuguese prepositions

Short answer: relationship first, contraction second

A contraction combines elements with separate functions. In “Estou na escola”, em expresses location here and a accompanies escola. In “Venho da escola”, de expresses origin. In “Vou à escola”, a introduces the destination in this construction. Do not choose na simply because the following word is feminine: its relationship to the verb matters too. Translating every English at or to as one fixed Portuguese word will miss these distinctions.

This guide focuses on em, de and a with definite articles. Other prepositions, contractions and meanings exist beyond this introductory chart. Not every noun takes an article in every context. Use the table to recognise frequent combinations while still reading the complete sentence. Start by reconstructing both components before producing the combined form yourself.

Contractions in the singular and plural

Em with o/a/os/as gives no/na/nos/nas. De gives do/da/dos/das. A gives ao/à/aos/às. The grave accent in à and às belongs to the written contraction; it is not added automatically before every feminine word. Read each reference row as a combination, then attach a sentence expressing location, origin or destination so the form has a meaningful function.

Compare “no banco” with “nos bancos”, “da escola” with “das escolas”, and “ao mercado” with “aos mercados”. Number follows the noun phrase. Do not use nos merely because several people are involved if the place remains singular: “Nós estamos no banco” keeps no. The number of people in the subject and number of places in the complement are separate pieces of information.

One place: location, origin and destination

Draw a home, school and library. “Estou na biblioteca” gives location, “Venho da biblioteca” gives where someone comes from, and “Vou à biblioteca” gives the destination in this phrasing. The preposition changes a spatial relationship rather than just spelling. A journey can be described in three sentences without all of them sharing the same contraction or referring to the same stage of movement.

In the dialogue, someone is at school, comes from home and is going to the market. De casa lacks an article in this use. Do not force da casa into every situation: it can refer to a specific house in another context. Begin with the complete expressions provided and identify which relationship each answers before changing the vocabulary or extending the sentence.

• Ask for and understand directions

City names: article use varies

“Moro em Lisboa” and “Moro no Porto” show that city names can behave differently. Compare “Venho de Lisboa” and “Venho do Porto” too. Do not infer that every city name excludes an article or every masculine-looking place requires o. Learn a name together with its construction instead of relying only on the name’s final letter or the form used for a different city.

For an unfamiliar name, look for usage in a linguistic reference or an official text that uses it rather than guessing. This guide is not a universal gazetteer. Exercises use only Lisbon and Porto with the patterns shown, ensuring that success depends on the material explained rather than a previously unintroduced place-name exception or an assumption about all Portuguese locations.

Worked exercises: choose before combining

The answers below are: 1 na; 2 da; 3 à; 4 no; 5 do; 6 ao; 7 em; 8 no. In the first three, escola retains article a while the verb and relationship change the preposition. The final pair contrasts the constructions for Lisbon and Porto. Explain each answer by separating the components wherever a contraction occurs rather than merely copying the first familiar form.

Correct “Nós estamos nos banco”: for one bank, write “Nós estamos no banco”. Several banks would require a plural noun and change the meaning. Now turn “Estou na escola” into an origin statement: “Venho da escola”. Changing only estou to venho and keeping na does not perform the task when it explicitly requests the point from which someone is coming.

Application: a journey in three stages

Create a card with fictional current location, origin and destination. Write one sentence for each relationship without pretending the destination has already been reached. A partner identifies where the person is, came from and is going. Replace the place name and check article and preposition separately. Keep the complete model as a study reference when unsure rather than extending a guessed contraction to unfamiliar words.

Use directions to apply these relationships to a map, and por/para to broaden the distinctions. The A2 path includes other language practice. CEFR and Camões provide the educational framework; charts, selections and answers are editorial materials, not an official CIPLE inventory. Learning a contraction includes understanding its relationship rather than simply recognising two letters before a noun.

• Compare other uses of por and para

Sources and scope of this guide

Official sources support the stated legal, language and certification facts. Plans, examples and checklists are independent editorial suggestions, not instructions from an authority.

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