Onde fica?
Chapter Overview
Once you can describe your routine, the next natural step is describing where things are and how to get there. This chapter continues Unit II by teaching you to locate places and things with estar and ficar, to talk about going somewhere with ir a and ir para, and to use the contractions no, na, do, and da to talk about neighborhoods, homes, and everyday places. You will also practice the question word onde and continue developing your pronunciation of r and rr, which appear constantly in place names and directions.
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Ask and answer Onde fica? to locate places.
- Distinguish estar and ficar when describing location.
- Use ir a and ir para to describe movement toward a place.
- Use the contractions no, na, do, and da with common places.
- Name everyday places in a neighborhood and describe simple movement through it.
- Pronounce r and rr accurately in place names and directions.
Communication Scenario
A new member of the conversation group is visiting the neighborhood for the first time and does not know where anything is. Group members need to explain where common places are located and how to get to them.
- This chapter activates estar versus ficar, ir a/para, the contractions no/na/do/da, and the question word onde.
- You may invent your own neighborhood and places if you prefer not to describe a real one.
- Chapters 1–7 systems (greetings, ser, ter, days and times, regular -ar/-er/-ir verbs, gostar de, querer, fazer, ir, frequency words) continue to recycle throughout this chapter.
Core Vocabulary
The following words describe common places, home areas, and forms of transportation used to move through a neighborhood.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| a casa | the house |
| o apartamento | the apartment |
| a rua | the street |
| o bairro | the neighborhood |
| o mercado | the market |
| a farmácia | the pharmacy |
| o banco | the bank |
| a escola | the school |
| o parque | the park |
| o restaurante | the restaurant |
| a praça | the plaza / town square |
| a padaria | the bakery |
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| o ônibus | the bus |
| o carro | the car |
| a bicicleta | the bicycle |
| a pé | on foot / walking |
Verbs for taking transportation, such as pegar and tomar, are scheduled for Chapter 12 and are not activated here.
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| onde | where |
| perto (de) | near (to) |
| longe (de) | far (from) |
| ao lado (de) | next to |
| em frente (de) | in front (of) |
| perto daqui | near here |
ao lado and em frente are presented as formulaic location expressions this chapter; their full internal grammar is not activated yet.
Pronunciation Focus
A single r between vowels, as in bairro's first syllable or parque, is pronounced as a light tap in this production model. A double rr, as in bairro, and a word-initial r, as in rua and restaurante, are pronounced with a stronger, more guttural sound in contemporary Brazilian Portuguese. Word-final r, as in ficar, is often softened or reduced in casual Brazilian speech. Practice these pairs aloud: rua / hora, bairro / caro, restaurante / apartamento.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
Estar versus ficar for location
Portuguese uses both estar and ficar to talk about where something is. Estar describes where something is located right now; ficar is commonly used for the fixed, ongoing location of a place, such as a building or a neighborhood.
- Onde fica o mercado? Where is the market (located)?
- Eu estou no parque agora. I am at the park right now. estar → current, momentary location
- A escola fica na Rua das Flores. The school is on Flores Street. ficar → fixed location of a place
This chapter activates ficar specifically for asking and stating the location of places. Other functions of estar and ficar are developed in later chapters and volumes.
Ir a and ir para
Both ir a and ir para mean "to go to," but they differ slightly in focus: ir a often suggests a shorter visit, while ir para often suggests staying longer or heading toward a destination in a more general sense. In everyday Brazilian speech, ir para is extremely common for both meanings.
- Nós vamos para a escola de manhã. We go to school in the morning.
- Ela vai à farmácia agora. She's going to the pharmacy now. a + a = à
This chapter activates ir a and ir para with concrete, everyday places. Abstract and idiomatic uses of por/para are scheduled for later chapters.
Contractions: no, na, do, da
The prepositions em and de contract with the definite articles o and a. These contractions are required, everyday Portuguese, not optional shortcuts.
- Eu estou no restaurante. I am at the restaurant. em + o restaurante = no restaurante
- A padaria fica perto do parque. The bakery is near the park. de + o parque = do parque
- Nós moramos na Rua das Flores. We live on Flores Street. em + a Rua = na Rua
Onde combines with ficar and estar to ask about location: Onde fica a farmácia? / Onde você está? Notice that onde comes first in the question, the same pattern as other question words from Chapter 2.
Model Dialogue: Perdido no bairro
Context: A visitor to the neighborhood asks a group member for help finding places. Friendly, informal register.
This dialogue combines ficar, estar, ir a/para, contractions, and onde (Ch. 8) with greetings, morar, and querer recycled from earlier chapters.
Guided Practice
- Complete each sentence with the correct form of ficar or estar: A escola ______ perto do banco. / Eu ______ no parque agora. / Onde ______ a farmácia?
- Complete each sentence with no, na, do, or da: O restaurante fica ______ praça. / Nós moramos ______ Rua das Flores. / A padaria fica perto ______ parque.
- Rewrite each sentence using ir a or ir para with the correct contraction: Eu vou (a + o) mercado. / Ela vai (a + a) escola.
Listening Practice
If no audio recording is available, ask a partner, instructor, or text-to-speech tool to read the script below aloud, or read it aloud to yourself slowly.
- Where does Daniel live?
- Where is the pharmacy located?
- Why does Daniel go to the market in the morning?
Speaking Practice
Prática controlada — Controlled practice: three sentences
Say each sentence aloud about your own neighborhood, real or invented: A ______ fica perto de ______. (a place and a landmark); Eu estou ______ agora. (a place); Eu vou para ______ hoje. (a place)
Tarefa comunicativa — Communicative task: neighborhood interview
With a partner, take turns asking and answering Onde fica ______? for at least three places from the vocabulary list. Use perto de, longe de, ao lado de, or em frente de in each answer.
Prática individual — Solo alternative
Record yourself describing where three places are located in your neighborhood, using ficar and the contractions no/na/do/da at least once each.
Reading Practice
O bairro da Marina — Marina's neighborhood
Marina mora em um apartamento na Rua Almirante. O bairro fica perto do centro da cidade. A escola fica ao lado da casa de Marina, e o mercado fica em frente da escola. Todo dia, Marina vai a pé para o mercado. Às vezes, ela vai de bicicleta para o parque, que fica longe do bairro. Ela nunca vai de carro, porque tudo fica perto.
Tarefa de leitura — Reading task:
- Where does Marina live?
- Where is the market located, in relation to the school?
- Why does Marina never go by car?
Writing Workshop
Complete the following linked writing tasks in order to build a short message giving directions to a visiting group member.
Tarefa 1 — My neighborhood: Write one sentence stating where you live, using morar and a contraction (na or no).
Tarefa 2 — Locating places: Write two sentences using ficar to locate two places near you, each with perto de, longe de, ao lado de, or em frente de.
Tarefa 3 — Going somewhere: Write one sentence with ir a and one sentence with ir para, describing places you go.
Tarefa 4 — Full note: Combine Tarefas 1–3 into one short note of four to five sentences for the visiting group member.
- Draft each section separately. Write the neighborhood, location, and movement sentences one at a time before combining them.
- Combine the sections into one note. Add a greeting at the start, recycled from Chapter 1.
- Check every contraction. Confirm that no/na/do/da and ao/à are used correctly.
- Check ficar and estar. Confirm each verb matches its function: fixed location versus current location.
- Check diacritics. Confirm that accented forms such as à and praça are written correctly.
Lista de revisão — Editing checklist:
- The note includes a greeting, a home location, at least two located places, and one movement sentence.
- ficar and estar are used correctly for their functions.
- Contractions no/na/do/da and ao/à are used correctly and consistently.
- All diacritics, including à and praça, are preserved.
- Onde is used correctly if a question appears in the note.
Culture and Communication
Many Brazilian neighborhoods are organized so that small markets, bakeries, and pharmacies are within walking distance of homes, though this varies by city, region, and household income. In large cities, some neighborhoods depend heavily on buses or cars, while in smaller towns, walking remains common. Do not assume every Brazilian neighborhood looks the same.
Words for small neighborhood markets and bakeries can vary somewhat by region within Brazil, and Portuguese-speaking countries outside Brazil may use different everyday terms for some of these places. This course presents contemporary Brazilian vocabulary as the default; other Lusophone terms are recognition only unless a later chapter labels and activates them.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: Saying A escola está na Rua das Flores when describing where a building is permanently located.
Correction: Use ficar for the fixed location of places: A escola fica na Rua das Flores.
Error: Saying Eu estou em o parque, leaving the preposition and article uncontracted.
Correction: Always contract: Eu estou no parque.
Error: Saying Eu vou para ao mercado, combining both patterns.
Correction: Choose one pattern: Eu vou ao mercado or Eu vou para o mercado.
Chapter Summary
O que você aprendeu — What you learned
This chapter activated estar versus ficar for location, ir a and ir para for movement, the contractions no/na/do/da, the question word onde, and vocabulary for neighborhood places and transportation, along with continued pronunciation practice for r and rr.
Chapter Review
Parte A — Compreensão (Comprehension)
1. Return to the Model Dialogue, and answer these short questions.
- Where does Daniel say the pharmacy is located?
- Where is Daniel going at the end of the dialogue?
Parte B — Escrita (Writing)
1. Write one sentence with ficar and one sentence with estar.
2. Combine em and de with both o and a to produce all four contractions.
Parte C — Leitura (Reading)
1. Return to the O bairro da Marina passage in Reading Practice, and identify two places and their locations.
Parte D — Fala (Speaking)
1. Ask a partner Onde fica ______? and respond using a contraction and a location word.
Practical Performance Task
Chapter 8 Practical Check
Onde fica?: Locating Places in a Neighborhood
Complete the following connected tasks, in order, as one integrated performance.
- Read the O bairro da Marina passage. Answer the comprehension questions above before continuing.
- State where you live. Use morar with a correct contraction.
- Locate three places. Use ficar with perto de, longe de, ao lado de, or em frente de.
- Describe movement. Include at least one sentence each with ir a and ir para.
- Write your neighborhood note. Apply the editing checklist from the Writing Workshop.
| Criterion | What is assessed |
|---|---|
| Ficar vs. estar | The learner uses ficar for fixed location and estar for current location correctly. |
| Contractions | The learner uses no/na/do/da and ao/à accurately and consistently. |
| Ir a/para | The learner uses ir a and ir para correctly with contractions where required. |
| Vocabulary use | The learner names at least three neighborhood places with accurate vocabulary. |
| Diacritics and spelling | The learner preserves diacritics, including à and praça, throughout. |
This checkpoint uses only material activated in Chapter 8 together with recycled Chapters 1–7 systems.
Answer Key
Guided Practice
- fica / estou / fica
- na / na / do
- Eu vou ao mercado. / Ela vai à escola.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Daniel says the pharmacy is near the bank, on the plaza (perto do banco, na praça).
- Daniel is going to the restaurant in front of the park (o restaurante em frente do parque).
Writing
- Sample: A farmácia fica perto da minha casa. / Eu estou no mercado agora. (other accurate sentences following the same patterns are also correct)
- no (em + o) / na (em + a) / do (de + o) / da (de + a)
Reading
- Sample: Marina lives in an apartment on Rua Almirante; the school is next to her house; the market is in front of the school; she never goes by car because everything is close.
Looking Ahead
O que você já sabe fazer — What you can do now
You can locate places, describe your neighborhood, and talk about going somewhere — combining these new patterns with daily routines, food preferences, identity, and greetings from earlier chapters.