37 Common Portuguese Prepositions and Contracted Prepositions

Above, below, before, after and everywhere else: These are prepositions, words that usually come before a noun or pronoun to indicate its connection to another word in the sentence.

Prepositions show location, direction, time, manner or possession, and they are incredibly useful small words. Learning Portuguese prepositions will help you have more detailed conversations.

How to Use Portuguese Prepositions

In Portuguese, as in English, prepositions are usually placed before the noun or pronoun they refer to. For example:

English: I am going to the store. Portuguese: Eu estou indo à loja.

English: He’s sitting next to me. Portuguese: Ele está sentado ao meu lado.

However, in some instances the preposition can be placed at the end of a sentence in Portuguese, particularly in informal or casual speech. This occurs more frequently in Brazilian Portuguese than in European Portuguese. For example:

Você vai com quem? (Who are you going with?) instead of Com quem você vai?

Ela está falando de quê? (What is she talking about?) instead of De quê ela está falando?

But in formal writing and standard Portuguese, prepositions are typically placed before the noun or pronoun.

Portuguese Prepositions

Listed below are the most frequent Portuguese prepositions, each with an example sentence. The examples offer a basic understanding of how and when each preposition is used. The Lingflix program can give you even more context for these words, and many others. Lingflix uses authentic videos—such as music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and transforms them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try Lingflix for free for 2 weeks. Click here to visit the website or get the iOS app or Android app.

• a (to, at, toward) Eu estou indo a pé para o trabalho. (I am walking to work.)
• através de (through, by) A informação foi transmitida através de e-mail. (The information was transmitted through email.)
• antes de (before) Estudei bastante antes da prova. (I studied a lot before the exam.)
• após (after) Vou ligar para você após o jantar. (I will call you after dinner.)
• até (until, up to) Ela esperou até as oito horas. (She waited until eight o’clock.)
• como (like, as) Ele age como um verdadeiro cavalheiro. (He behaves like a true gentleman.)
• com (with) Gosto de café com açúcar. (I like coffee with sugar.)
• contra (against) Eles lutaram contra a injustiça. (They fought against injustice.)
• de (of, from, belonging to) O livro de Maria está na mesa. (The book belonging to Maria is on the table.)
• desde (since, from) Moro aqui desde 2010. (I have been living here since 2010.)
• durante (during) Dormi durante toda a viagem. (I slept during the entire trip.)
• em (in, on) Estou em casa. (I’m at home.)
• em direção a (in the direction of) Eu caminhei em direção a casa. (I walked towards home.)
• entre (between, among) A carta está entre os livros. (The letter is between the books.)
• para (to, towards) Vou para o trabalho. (I’m going to work.)
• perante (before, in the presence of) Ele falou perante o tribunal. (He spoke before the court.)
• por (by, for, through) Esta carta foi escrita por ele. (This letter was written by him.)
• salvo (except, save) Todos estão aqui, salvo ela. (Everyone is here, except her.)
• sem (without) Não consigo viver sem música. (I can’t live without music.)
• sobre (on, over, about) Vamos conversar sobre esse assunto. (Let’s talk about this subject.)
• sob (under, beneath) O cachorro está sob a mesa. (The dog is under the table.)

Portuguese Contracted Prepositions

In Portuguese, contracted prepositions occur when a preposition combines with specific definite articles or pronouns, creating a single contracted form. These contractions are frequent in both European and Brazilian Portuguese and help to make speech flow more smoothly and prevent awkward word combinations.

Here is a list of common Portuguese contracted prepositions:

• a (to, at, toward) + o (the) → ao Vou ao mercado. (I am going to the market.)
• a (to, at, toward) + os (the) → aos Vou aos correios. (I am going to the post office.)
• a (to, at, toward) + a (the) → à Vou à escola. (I am going to the school.)
• a (to, at, toward) + as (the) → às Vou às aulas. (I am going to the classes.)
• de (of, from, belonging to) + o (the) → do O gato do vizinho é muito brincalhão. (The neighbor’s cat is very playful.)
• de (of, from, belonging to) + os (the) → dos Os livros dos estudantes estão na prateleira. (The students’ books are on the shelf.)
• de (of, from, belonging to) + a (the) → da O vestido da menina é azul. (The girl’s dress is blue.)
• de (of, from, belonging to) + as (the) → das As flores das plantas são bonitas. (The flowers of the plants are beautiful.)
• em (in, on, at) + o (the) → no Estou no parque. (I am in the park.)
• em (in, on, at) + os (the) → nos Estou nos jardins. (I am in the gardens.)
• em (in, on, at) + a (the) → na Estou na biblioteca. (I am in the library.)
• em (in, on, at) + as (the) → nas Estou nas montanhas. (I am in the mountains.)
• por (for, by, through) + o (the) → pelo Vou pelo parque. (I am going through the park.)
• por (for, by, through) + os (the) → pelos Vou pelos campos. (I am going through the fields.)
• por (for, by, through) + a (the) → pela Vou pela cidade. (I am going through the city.)
• por (for, by, through) + as (the) → pelas Vou pelas ruas. (I am going through the streets.)

Regardless of which direction your learning takes, Portuguese prepositions will guide you there!