What’s up, you ok? Let’s learn Portuguese? In today’s Dica we’ll learn about the preposition por in Portuguese, and also what pelo is in Portuguese!
To begin with, you must know that pôr in Portuguese can also be a verb, but notice that when we are talking about the verb it has a circumflex accent.
In Brazilian Portuguese there are 16 prepositions. In our free Portuguese lesson for foreigners today, we are going to talk about the preposition por in Portuguese and its variations.
We use the preposition por to talk about time, price, cause, going by way of (via), and when you do something replacing someone. First, take a look at some examples of each case:
Joana me esperou por duas horas ontem. O trânsito estava muito ruim. (time)
Joana waited for me for two hours yesterday. The traffic was terrible.
Comprei essa blusa por 30,00 reais. (price)
I bought this shirt for 30 reais.
Ele não veio por medo da chuva. (cause)
He didn’t come for fear of the rain.
Nós viajamos por muitas cidades da Europa. (place)
We travel through many cities in Europe.
Não queria fazer a comida, então ele fez por mim. (replace someone)
I didn’t want to make the food, so he did it for me.
The preposition por can also vary depending on the word that comes after it. When this happens we’ll have the contraction pelo in Portuguese, for example. Take a look:
| Por + o | Pelo |
| Por + a | Pela |
| Por + os | Pelos |
| Por + as | Pelas |
Now, let’s see some examples using the preposition Por in Portuguese, and its contractions.
José vai para o interior pela estrada antiga.
José is going to the countryside by the old road.
O ônibus que vai para o centro, passa por aqui. Vamos esperar por ele.
The bus that goes downtown, passes here. Let’s wait for it.
Elas torcem pelo Flamengo, mas nós torcemos pelo Internacional.
They root for Flamengo, but we cheer for Internacional.
Comprei esse ótimo livro por apenas R$ 30,00.
I bought this book for R$ 30.
O trem que vai para minha cidade passa pelas montanhas e pelas praias.
The train that goes to my city passes by the mountains and by the beaches.
Ele sempre vai pelo caminho mais rápido.
He always goes by the quickest route.
Claudia fez o trabalho por mim. Eu estava muito cansado.
Claudia did the task for me. I was very tired.
Eu não fui para a praia por causa da chuva.
I didn’t go to the beach because of the rain.
Vamos para o centro pela ponte Rio-Niterói.
We go to centro via the Rio-Niterói bridge.
O ônibus passa pela Rua Almirante Silva?
The bus goes via Almirante Silva street.
Você vai passar por aqui mais tarde?
Are you passing by later?
Mariana vai passar pela loja de doces.
Mariana will stop by the candy shop.
José passou por mim.
José passed by me.
A senhora precisa passar pela farmácia e pelo banco antes de chegar ao estádio.
You need to walk via the drugstore and the bank to get to the stadium.
Complete the sentences to make sure you know how to use Portuguese por! Don’t forget to check the answers at the end of this Dica.
Want to travel through Rio, but you can’t come? Take a look at our Instagram pictures, and travel with us! 😉
Hugs from Rio de Janeiro.
Click on the links below to see more related Dicas:
Preposition De
Prepositions of place
Portuguese Prepositions
To Put in Portuguese
This post is also available in:
English 
Português (Portuguese) 
Español (Spanish)
Search for Portuguese Dicas
Tell us which Portuguese lesson you would like to learn
Suscribe to A Dica do Dia.
Get free Portuguese lessons. Subscribe to A Dica do Dia and get short, daily lessons in Portuguese completely free.
