estar + Location

The pattern estar + location is essential for daily communication. It expresses the current position of a person or a movable object — a placement that can change — rather than the fixed, permanent location of a building or the location of an event, which use different verbs (see Section 6).

1. Conjugation:
The verb estar is irregular. In the present tense, you will use:

• Eu estou (I am)
• Tu estás (You are - informal)
• Você/Ele/Ela está (You/He/She is)
• Nós estamos (We are)
• Vocês/Eles/Elas estão (You all/They are)

2. Contractions:
When using estar with a location, you typically use the preposition em (in/at/on). In Portuguese, it is mandatory to merge em with definite articles:

• em + o = no / em + os = nos
• em + a = na / em + as = nas

For indefinite articles, contractions like em + um = num, em + uma = numa, and their plurals nuns (em + uns) and numas (em + umas) are standard in all registers in Portugal. However, in Brazil, these contractions are considered informal or spoken; the uncontracted forms (em um / em uma / em uns / em umas) are the expected standard for formal or academic writing. Additionally, the preposition a is also used for specific locations (e.g., estar à porta, estar ao sol). This requires contractions: a + a = à and a + o = ao.

3. The 'Em Casa' Exception:
When you are at your own home, you simply say estou em casa. No article or contraction is used in this specific context.

4. Asking "Where?":
To ask about a location, use the question word onde (where) paired with estar (e.g., Onde está o carro?). Important: Always use onde and never aonde with estar, because estar implies a stationary location, not movement. In informal Brazilian Portuguese, the word cadê is the standard, everyday equivalent of "where is/are" when the location is unknown. While often used for people and movable objects (e.g., Cadê o carro?), it is also commonly used to ask about fixed locations (e.g., Cadê o banheiro?). Because cadê already means "where is," it never takes a verb. Do not say "Cadê está o carro?". Additionally, cadê is strictly for direct questions and cannot be used in statements (e.g., you cannot say "I don't know cadê the car" — you must revert to onde for that).

5. Spoken vs. Written:
In casual Brazilian Portuguese, the first syllable 'es-' is often dropped across the conjugation (e.g., tô for estou, tá for está, tamos for estamos, and tão for estão). In European Portuguese, the initial 'e' is typically dropped entirely, and the 's' makes a 'sh' sound before the 't' (sounding like 'shtou').

6. When to use it (Temporary vs. Permanent):
A critical rule is that estar is used for temporary locations (people, animals, and movable objects). For fixed, permanent locations like buildings, restaurants, or cities, Portuguese speakers use the verbs ficar or ser (e.g., O restaurante fica/é na rua principal). In Brazilian Portuguese, estar is frequently used for fixed locations when a speaker is actively looking for them or asking for directions (e.g., Onde está o museu?). However, European Portuguese speakers strictly prefer ficar or ser in these contexts. Finally, remember that for the location of events (like a party or a meeting), you must always use ser, not estar (e.g., A festa é na minha casa).

7. Spatial Adverbs and Compound Prepositions:
When describing locations, estar is frequently paired with spatial adverbs like aqui (here), aí (there, near the listener), and ali/lá (over there). You will also often use compound prepositions of place, such as em cima de (on top of), dentro de (inside of), and perto de (near). Remember to contract the de with articles when necessary (e.g., O gato está em cima da mesa.).