Em, No, and Na in Portuguese: Place Prepositions Explained — Practice

Learn em before contracting it

Em often means “in” or “at” when you describe a location: em casa (at home), em São Paulo (in São Paulo), or em uma loja (in a shop). Whether an article appears depends on the place name and expression, so learn common location phrases as complete chunks.

When em comes before the definite article, the words contract: em + o = no and em + a = na. Before plural articles, em + os becomes nos and em + as becomes nas. These contractions are standard, not optional shortcuts.

Match no, na, nos, or nas to the noun

Use no with a masculine singular noun that takes o, and na with a feminine singular noun that takes a. Use nos and nas with the matching plural forms. The noun and its article determine the contraction; the English word “in” does not.

Learn the article when you learn a new place noun: o mercado, a estação, os restaurantes, as lojas. That gives you the information you need to choose the contraction and helps the rest of the sentence agree naturally.

Notice that familiar place expressions have their own patterns

Many cities are used without a definite article, as in em São Paulo or em Brasília. Some place names commonly appear with an article, such as no Rio de Janeiro. Learn the local expression rather than deciding solely from whether the place is a city, state, or country.

Other prepositions also contract with articles: de + o = do, de + a = da, and a + a can become à. Keep these patterns distinct. They use the same articles but express different relationships from em.

Remember: Write five locations with an article and preposition, then check whether the location is learned with em, no, or na. For the related contraction, read the Real Life Portuguese guide to de/da/do; practice location questions through the I Speak Portuguese travel guides.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I live in São Paulo.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Moro em São Paulo.

2. The phone is in the car.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   O celular está no carro.

3. The key is in the bag.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A chave está na bolsa.

4. He works at the market.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ele trabalha no mercado.

5. We’ll meet at the station.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente se encontra na estação.

6. Do we have class on Saturdays?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Temos aula nos sábados?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Write five locations with an article and preposition, then check whether the location is learned with em, no, or na. For the related contraction, read the Real Life Portuguese guide to de/da/do; practice location questions through the I Speak Portuguese travel guides.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Em, No, and Na in Portuguese: Place Prepositions Explained lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.