EM ESSE or NESSE? – Word Contractions in Portuguese

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In this lesson, you will learn how to make combinations and contractions between prepositions and other words in the Portuguese language.

I prepared a PDF list with the vocabulary that you will learn in this lesson. Type your email bellow to receive it for free!

But first, what is a preposition?

According to the online dictionary Aulete.com.br, a preposition is an “invariable word that serves to establish the relationship between two words.”

These are the most common prepositions in Portuguesee:

DE (from/of)

EM (in/on/at)

POR (for/by)

PARA (to)

A (to)

COM (with)

See below how these prepositions combine or contract with other small words such as articles and pronouns.

Preposition A (to)

A + A = À (to)

Eu vou à farmácia. (I’m going to the pharmacy.)

A + O = AO (to)

Eu vou ao supermercado. (I’m going to the supermarket.)

A + AQUELA = ÀQUELA (to that)

Não vamos àquela loja há muito tempo. (We haven’t been to that store in a long time.)

A + AQUELE = ÀQUELE (to that)

Não vamos àquele restaurante há muito tempo. (We haven’t been to that restaurant in a long time.)

A + AQUELE = ÀQUILO (to that thing)

Estou me referindo àquilo que ele disse. (I’m referring to that thing he said.)

Preposition DE (from/of)

DE + A = DA (from/of)

Mariana é da Itália. (Mariana is from Italy.)

DE + O = DO (from/of)

João é do Brasil. (João is from Brazil.)

DE + ONE = DUM (optional contraction)

Ontem foi o aniversário dum amigo querido. (Yesterday was the birthday of a dear friend.)

DE + ONE = DUMA (optional contraction)

Ontem foi o aniversário duma amiga querida. (Yesterday was the birthday of a dear friend.)

DE + ESTE/ESSE = DESTE/DESSE (from/of this)

Qual é seu vídeo favorito deste canal? (What is your favorite video from this channel?)

DE + ESTA/ESSA = DESTA/DESSA (from/of this)

O que você acha dessa lição? (What do you think of this lesson?)

DE + ISTO/ISSO = DISTO/DISSO (from/of that)

Chega disso! (Enough of that!)

DE + AQUELE = DAQUELE (from/of that)

Eu pedi comida daquele restaurante que você gosta. (I ordered food from that restaurant you like.)

DE + AQUELA = DAQUELA (from/of that)

Eu pedi comida daquela padaria que você gosta. (I ordered food from that bakery you like.)

DE + AQUILO = DAQUILO (from/of that)

Qual é o propósito daquilo? What is the purpose of that?

DE + ELE = DELE (his)

Este livro é dele. (This book is his.)

DE + ELA = DELA (hers)

Este livro é dela. (This book is hers.)

DE + AQUI = DAQUI (from here/now)

Daqui para frente, vou estudar português diariamente. (From now on, I will study Portuguese daily.)

DE + ALI = DALI (from/of there)

Ouvi um barulho que veio dali. (I heard a noise that came from there.)

DE + AÍ = DAÍ (from/of there)

Você consegue me ver bem daí? (Can you see me well from there?)

Preposition EM (in/on/at)

EM + A = NA (in/on/at)

Laura mora na França. (Laura lives in France.)

EM + O = NO (in/on/at)

Anita mora no Brasil. (Anita lives in Brazil.)

EM + UM = NUM (optional contraction)

Ela mora num apartamento grande. (She lives in a big apartment.)

EM + ONE = NUMA (optional contraction)

Ele mora numa casa grande. (He lives in a big house.)

EM + ESTE/ESSE = NESTE/NESSE (in/on/at this)

Neste vídeo, eu vou falar sobre preposições. (In this video, I’m going to talk about prepositions.)

EM + ESTA/ESSA = NESTA/NESSA (in/on/at this)

Nesta lição, eu vou falar sobre preposições. (In this lesson, I’m going to talk about prepositions.)

EM + ISTO/ISSO = NISTO/NISSO (in/on/at it)

Ele é bom nisso! (He’s good at it!)

EM + AQUELE = NAQUELE (in/on/at that)

Ela mora naquele prédio. (She lives in that building.)

EM + AQUELA = NAQUELA (in/on/at that)

Ele mora naquela casa. (He lives in that house.)

EM + AQUILO = NAQUILO (in/on/at that thing)

Não coloque a mão naquilo! (Don’t put your hand on that thing!)

EM + ELE = NELE (about him)

Ela pensa muito nele. (She thinks about him a lot.)

EM + ELA = NELA (about her)

Ele pensa muito nela. (He thinks about her a lot.)

Preposition POR (for/by+)

POR + A = PELA (by/around)

Gosto de caminhar pela cidade. (I like to walk around the city.)

POR + O = PELO (by/around)

Gosto de caminhar pelo bairro. (I like to walk around the neighborhood.)

Preposition PARA (to)

PARA + A = PRA (optional contraction)

Ela viajou pra Itália. (She traveled to Italy.)

PARA + O = PRO (optional contraction)

Ele viajou pro Japão. (He traveled to Japan.)

Preposition COM (with)

COM + MIM = COMIGO (with me)

Você quer aprender português comigo? (Do you want to learn Portuguese with me?)

COM + NÓS = CONOSCO (with us)

Carla disse que iria ao cinema conosco. (Carla said she would go to the movies with us.)

COM + TI = CONTIGO (with you)

Fernando disse que iria falar contigo. (Fernando said he would talk to you.)

That’s it, everybody! Now you know how to link prepositions with other words in Portuguese.

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Até a próxima!

Your teacher,

Virginia