Prepositions in Portuguese – Learn Brazilian Portuguese

Prepositions are invariable words that link two elements in a sentence, maintaining a relationship between them. Learning the most common prepositions in Portuguese will help you improve your writing and capability of speaking in a fluent and fluid manner.

The use of prepositions in Portuguese

Most prepositions establish meanings between sentences that are defined by the context. They can express place, cause, subject, goal, and more. Check a few uses of the prepositions in Portuguese:

To express ownership

O novo carro de Paulo é preto. (Paulo’s new car is black.)

To express companionship

Fui à praia com a minha mãe. (I went to the beach with my mom.)

To express place

Juliana mora em Salvador. (Juliana lives in Salvador.)

To express means

Mário e Gilberto voltaram para casa de avião. (Mário and Gilberto went home by plane.)

To express goal

Tirei férias para descansar. (I took some vacation to rest.)

To express cause

Ana morreu de tuberculose. (Ana have died of tuberculosis.)

To express subject

Não quero falar sobre política. (I do not want to talk about politics.)

To express a material

Esta casa é feita de tijolos. (This house is made of bricks.)

Prepositions in Portuguese

Preposition A

The preposition “a” is one of the richest in meaning in the Portuguese language. It can express different things, such as direction, time, place, mean, and more.

➤ It is important to notice:

A + a = à
A + o = ao
A + as = às
A + os = aos

Examples:

Emprestei meu caderno ao menino. (I lent my notebook to the boy.)
Fui a Lisboa durante minhas férias. (I went to Lisbon during my vacation.)
Sua roupa cheia a rosas. (Your clothes smell like roses.)

➤ In informal Brazilian Portuguese, it is also common to use “para” instead of “a” in some cases.

Example: Jorge deu um presente à filha. ➔ Jorge deu um presente para a filha. (Jorge gave a present to his daughter.)

Preposition Após

Indicates posteriority.

Example: Mariana dorme após o almoço. (Mariana sleeps after lunch.)

Preposition Até 

Indicates the end of a place, an action, number, or time.

Examples:

O muro da minha casa vai até o fim da rua. (The wall of my house runs to the end of the street.)
Jogou futebol até ficar cansado. (He played football until he was tired.)
Daniel sabe contar até dez. (Daniel knows how to count to ten.)

Preposition Com

We use the preposition “com” in Portuguese to indicate companionship, means, or circumstances.

Examples:

Bruno foi ao teatro com Bento. (Bruno went to the theater with Bento.)
Estou com fome. (I am hungry.)
Cortou a cebola com uma faca. (He sliced the onions with a knife.)

Preposition Contra

Express opposition.

Example: Todos da minha família são contra o aumento de impostos na cidade. (Everyone in my family is against the tax increase in the city.)

Proposition De

Just like the preposition “a”, “de” also have different uses. It may express ownership, comparison, origin, cause, time, quantity, and more.

➤ It is important to notice:

De + a = da
De + o = do
Da + a = das
De + os = dos

Examples:

Os chinelos de Ricardo são azuis. (Ricardo’s flip flops are blue.)
O prato do dia é carne com batatas. (The dish of the day is meat with potatoes.)
Bianca é mais simpática do que Fabíola. (Bianca is nicer than Fabíola.)
Marta chegou de Manaus. (Marta arrived from Manaus.)
Choveu de tarde. (It rained in the afternoon.)

Proposition Desde

The preposition “desde” is used to indicate a point in time or space that indicates a starting point.

Example: Estou te esperando desde às 8:00. (I have been waiting for you since 8 am.)

Preposition Em

Indicates time, place, means, or method.

➤ It is important to notice:

Em + a = na
Em + o = no
Em + as = nas
Em + os = nos

Examples:

Os portugueses chegaram ao Brasil em 1500. (The Portuguese arrived in Brazil in 1500.)
Ficarei na casa de Joana até a chuva passar. (I will stay at Joana’s place until the rain stops.)
Os alunos saíram em grupo. (The students left in groups.)

Preposition Entre

Indicates a situation or state between two things.

Example: Minha casa fica entre a praia e a lagoa. (My house is located between the beach and the lagoon.)

Preposition Para

The preposition “para” in Portuguese may indicate objective, direction, opinion, and time.

➤ In this case, in informal Brazilian Portuguese we use:

Para + a = pra
Para + o = pro
Para + as = pras
Para + os = pros

Examples:

Vou voltar para São Paulo amanhã. (I will come back to São Paulo tomorrow.)
Comprei um brinquedo para Júlia. (I have bought a present for Júlia.)
Sua opinião é muito importante para mim. (Your opinion is very important to me.)

Attention! To learn more about the difference between the prepositions “por” and “para” in Portuguese, check this blog post Differences between Por and Para in Portuguese | Lesson 14.

Preposition Por

We use “por” for duration of time, place, cause, means, price, and more.

Examples:

Gabriel nadou por três horas seguidas. (Gabriel swam for three hours straight.)
Troquei um anel por uma blusa. (I exchanged a ring for a blouse.)
Jorge viajou por toda Europa. (Jorge traveled all over Europe.)

Preposition Sem

Indicates deprivation or lack of something.

Example: Fiquei sem comer porque estava atrasada para a aula. (I have not eaten because I was late for class.)

Preposition Sob

Indicates an inferior status, subjection, or dependency. It is also equivalent to “embaixo de”.

Examples:

A caixa estava sob a mesa. (The box was under the table.)
Sérgio está sob a minha tutela. (Sérgio is under my care.)
Precisarei pagar multa sob pena de prisão. (I will need to pay a fine under the penalty of imprisonment)

Preposition Sobre

It means physical elevation or dominance. Equivalent to “em cima de”. It can also express subject.

Examples:

A carta está sobre a mesa. (The letter is on the table.)
Amanhã vamos ter aula sobre preposições em português. (For tomorrow’s class we will talk about the prepositions in Portuguese.)

 

To check other Portuguese tips and lessons, see our Learn the Portuguese Language and Portuguese Grammar page on this blog. Study Brazilian Portuguese at Caminhos Language Centre.