No one’s above a little studying! In this lesson, we’ll be looking at some more Portuguese adverbs of place. Remember: Unlike other adverbs, adverbs of place only modify verbs.
Acima
AcimaAbove is the equivalent of above, and as such it is rather straightforward.
Ninguém está acima da lei.No one is above the law.
Veja a ilustração no exemplo acima.Look at the illustration in the example above.
Abaixo
AbaixoBelow means below (the opposite of acima). It refers to a thing or person that is in an inferior position in relation to another thing or person.
Hoje esperam-se temperaturas abaixo de zero.Temperatures below zero are expected today.
A solução do problema está descrita abaixo.The solution to the problem is described below.
Debaixo
DebaixoUnder is the equivalent of under in English. It is used when a thing or person is immediately under something, in close physical proximity.
Guardo o estojo da guitarra debaixo da minha cama.I keep my guitar case under my bed.
Há tanto cotão debaixo da carpete!There’s so much lint under the carpet!
I have always known above and below as ’em cima’ and ‘por baixo’ rather than ‘acima’ and ‘abaixo’ as is there a difference in meaning or is it more of a regional accent thing maybe?
Olá, Michael. “Em cima” sounds like directly on top, while “acima” (as well as “por cima”) suggests that there is no direct contact, e.g. a light fixture over a table. So, we usually consider these two clearly different. As for “por baixo” vs. “abaixo”, the difference is similar. Personally, I interpret “por baixo” as right underneath (but not necessarily in direct contact), while “abaixo” can be anywhere below, so it’s a lot vaguer. One example: if I lived on a 6th floor, my 5th floor neighbour would be “por baixo”, but the 4th to ground-floor neighbours would be “abaixo”.
I’ve done the lesson and reread Adverb of Place: Above and Below and I’m not seeing a clear way to decide when to use abaixo or debaixo. In Lesson 5 the phrases are:
O mecânico está debaixo do carro The mechanic is under the car
O cão dorme debaixo da mesa The dog sleeps under the table
Ele nada abaixo da superfície He swims below the surface
A cave está abaixo do solo The basement is below the ground
Reading the comment above makes it even muddier. Is debaixo similar to your explanation of por baixo? Obrigada.
Olá, Jill. “Debaixo” and “por baixo” can typically be used interchangeably, except in cases where movement is involved, in which case “por baixo” is preferable:
– Ele passou por baixo do arco = He passed under the arch
“Debaixo” suggests that the object is directly under/underneath something. That’s why it’s used in the examples you mentioned (under the car, under the table). Exceptionally, we can also apply it in sentences such as “Dormir debaixo das estrelas” (Sleeping under the stars). Objectively, the stars might be millions of miles away, but they seem to be right over us when we look up to a dark sky.
“Abaixo” is more abstract and simply suggests that the object is at a lower level than a reference position. That’s why it’s used in sentences such as “below the surface”, “below ground”, “below sea level”, “below the waistline”, etc.
Hi there
In the statement ‘A cave está abaixo do solo’ why is it not:
A cave é abaixo do solo
OR
A cave fica abaixo do solo
??
Thanks!
Olá! All three options are acceptable 🙂 When we’re describing locations, the verbs ser, estar and ficar tend to all be used interchangeably. The usual rule of thumb of using ser for permanent things and estar for temporary things doesn’t apply in this context.
Olá!
Em relação com os textos, quando estou a escrever um email ou estou a falar ou a enviar alguma informação por escrito a alguém, por ejemplo, posso utilizar então os advérbios “abaixo” e “adiante” ambos com o mesmo significado? Ou é melhor só utilizar a palavra “adiante”? Es dizer, “envio-te os documentos adiante”/”Envio-te os documentos abaixo”; “Os dados pessoais necessários para completar o formulário estão adiante”/”Os dados estão abaixo”.
Muito obrigada! Estou a gostar muito das aulas 🙂
Ambos podem ser usados, mas diria que “abaixo” poderá ser mais adequado em contexto de e-mail/carta.
Obrigado, Ines! Ficamos muito contentes que esteja a gostar das aulas! 😀
Why is estar preferred to ficar here – is it because the position of the dog/cat/surprise/wallet, etc, is not fixed?
Olá! For immovable objects, the verbs estar and ficar can be used interchangeably. For a mobile object, only the verb ‘estar’ can be used to describe its current location (i.e. where it is right now). The verb ‘ficar’ can be used to describe its theoretical/default location (i.e. where it is supposed to be).