Did you know there are 18 essential prepositions in Portuguese? To speak Portuguese correctly, you need to know how to use all these prepositions.
In this lesson, I’m going to share with you a complete list of all the prepositions and examples in sentences, so you know how to use each one.
👉 This lesson comes with a free worksheet with the summary of the lesson, many examples in sentences, and exercises for you to practice. Click here to download your worksheet.
What is a preposition?
First of all, what is a preposition?
Prepositions are those little words that connect two terms in a sentence.
For example:
Eu sou de São Paulo. (I’m from São Paulo.)
“De” (from) is a preposition.
Eu estou em casa. (I’m at home.)
“Em” (at) is a preposition.
Below, you’ll find a complete list of all prepositions used in Brazilian Portuguese.
It’s important for you to know that some prepositions can be used in many different contexts. In this lesson, we’re going to study only the most common use of each preposition.
1. A
The preposition “a” is commonly used to indicate direction, destination, or point of arrival.
For example:
Eu vou a São Paulo em julho. (I’m going to São Paulo in July.)
Paulo trabalha de segunda a sexta. (Paulo works from Monday to Friday.)
2. ANTE
The preposition “ante” expresses the idea of “in front of” or “in the presence of” something. It’s a somewhat formal term. In informal language, we usually use the phrase “diante de” instead of “ante.”
For example:
Não podemos ficar calados ante tamanha injustiça. (We can’t remain silent in the face of such injustice.)
Não podemos ficar calados diante de tamanha injustiça. (We can’t remain silent in the face of such injustice.)
3. APÓS
The word “após” means the same as “depois de” (“after”).
For example:
Eles chegaram após o almoço. (They arrived after lunch.)
Após a aula, vou almoçar. (After class, I’m going to have lunch.)
4. ATÉ
The preposition “até” is commonly used to express a final limit of time, space, or quantity.
For example:
Ficamos no restaurante até tarde. (We stayed at the restaurant until late.)
Nós caminhamos até o parque a pé. (We walked all the way to the park on foot.)
5. COM
The preposition “com” is commonly used to indicate company (who we do something with) or instrument (what we do something with).
For example:
Joana saiu com seus amigos. (Joana went out with her friends.)
Ela pagou seu jantar com cartão de crédito. (She paid for her dinner with a credit card.)
6. CONTRA
The word “contra” indicates opposition or an opposite direction.
For example:
Todos estavam contra a proposta. (Everyone was against the proposal.)
É difícil nadar contra a corrente. (It’s hard to swim against the current.)
7. DE
The preposition “de” has many uses. It’s commonly used to indicate origin or possession.
For example:
Ela é de Salvador. (She’s from Salvador.)
O carro de Maria quebrou. (Maria’s car broke down.)
8. DESDE
The preposition “desde” indicates a starting point in time or space.
For example:
Eu moro nos Estados Unidos desde 2013. (I’ve lived in the United States since 2013.)
Desde criança, João sonha em ser médico. (Since childhood, João has dreamed of being a doctor.)
9. EM
The preposition “em” also has many uses. It’s commonly used to indicate the place where we are or how soon something will happen.
For example:
Eu estou em casa. (I’m at home.)
Vamos chegar em 10 minutos. (We’ll arrive in 10 minutes.)
10. ENTRE
The word “entre” indicates the position between two things and also conveys the idea of “approximately.”
For example:
A escola fica entre o mercado e a farmácia. (The school is between the market and the pharmacy.)
Tinha entre 15 e 20 pessoas na palestra. (There were between 15 and 20 people at the lecture.)
11. PARA
The preposition “para” is commonly used to indicate destination or purpose.
For example:
Vou para o Brasil no verão. (I’m going to Brazil in the summer.)
Pedro trabalha muito para sustentar seus filhos. (Pedro works hard to support his children.)
12. PERANTE
The word “perante” means “in front of” or “in the presence of.” Just like “ante,” it’s a more formal term and can often be replaced by “diante de.”
For example:
As crianças se comportam bem perante os pais. (The children behave well before their parents.)
As crianças se comportam bem diante dos pais. (The children behave well in front of their parents.)
13. POR
The preposition “por” has many uses. It’s commonly used to express duration of time or frequency.
For example:
Carolina estudou por duas horas. (Carolina studied for two hours.)
Ela estuda duas vezes por semana. (She studies twice a week.)
14. SEM
The preposition “sem” indicates absence.
For example:
Letícia não passa um dia sem o celular. (Letícia doesn’t go a day without her phone.)
Ficamos sem luz por causa da tempestade. (We were left without power because of the storm.)
15. SOB
The preposition “sob” means “below” or “under.”
For example:
O gato se escondeu sob a cama. (The cat hid under the bed.)
A caneta estava sob o jornal. (The pen was under the newspaper.)
16. SOBRE
The preposition “sobre” means “on top of,” “over,” or “about.”
For example:
O cobertor está sobre a cama. (The blanket is on the bed.)
Eles conversaram sobre o novo projeto. (They talked about the new project.)
17. TRÁS
The word “trás” is an old term that’s rarely used as a preposition nowadays, but it’s very common in expressions or phrases like “por trás”(behind), “de trás” (from behind), or “para trás” (backward).
For example:
O avião sumiu por trás das nuvens. (The plane disappeared behind the clouds.)
Ele deu um passo para trás. (He took a step back.)
18. PER
The word “per” is an old and formal form of the preposition “por.”
The preposition “per” is no longer used these days, but you’ll see this word being used in some expressions.
For example:
A renda per capita do país aumentou. (The country’s per capita income increased.)
O conceito per se é simples, mas sua aplicação é complexa. (The concept per se is simple, but its application is complex.)
Free worksheet!
👉 This lesson comes with a free worksheet with the summary of the lesson, many examples in sentences, and exercises for you to practice. Click here to download your worksheet.
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