Directions and Navigation vocabulary Direções e Navegação
20 Portuguese words on the topic of directions and navigation — with pictures, audio recordings and example sentences. Ask where, understand the answer, and get there.
| Picture | English | Portuguese · Português | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | where is…? | onde está…? | For fixed places Brazilians usually ask Onde fica…? |
 | to the right | à direita | The grave accent marks the contraction a + a = à (crase). |
 | to the left | à esquerda | From Basque, like Spanish izquierda. Again the à (a + a). |
 | straight ahead | sempre em frente | 🔗 RootLiterally always ahead — sempre adds the idea of keep going. |
 | keep straight | siga em frente | Polite command of the irregular seguir: siga. |
 | turn | vire | From virar, which in Brazil also means to become: virou moda = it became a trend. |
 | up | para cima | cima = the top; em cima de = on top of. |
 | down | para baixo | x = sh: BYE-shoo. baixo also means low, short. |
 | near | perto | Takes de: perto de casa = near the house. |
 | far | longe | 🔗 RootThink long: longe de = far from (Latin longe). |
 | here | aqui | There is also cá: vem cá = come here. |
 | there | ali | Three-way system: aí (near you), ali (over there, in sight), lá (far away). |
 | corner | a esquina | The street corner; an inside corner (of a room) is canto. |
 | block | a quadra | Brazil: a quadra; Also a sports court: quadra de tênis. 🇵🇹 PortugalPortugal: o quarteirão. |
 | traffic light | o semáforo | Everyday Brazilian prefers o sinal (São Paulo: farol). |
 | intersection | o cruzamento | From cruzar (to cross); family of cruz. |
 | in front of | em frente de | frente is feminine (a frente); na frente de is also common. |
 | next to | ao lado de | ao is the contraction a + o. 🔗 Rootliterally at the side of. |
 | between | entre | Also the polite command of entrar: Entre! = come in! |
 | behind | atrás de | Backwards is para trás. |