Portuguese Phrase
Coloca a tua bolsa na balança, por favor.
Meaning
The speaker is politely asking someone to put their bag on a weighing scale. It combines a direct command with the courtesy phrase ‘por favor’, making it firm yet respectful.
When to use
Use this sentence in places where items are weighed – at airport security, at a train station, in a grocery store for produce, or in a gym locker room. It works best when you are speaking to a peer or someone you know well (informal ‘tu’).
✦Grammar Breakdown
Colocaatuabolsanabalançaporfavor
Imperative (tu) – colocar
‘Coloca’ is the affirmative imperative form for ‘tu’ (you, informal) of the verb ‘colocar’ (to place).
Possessive adjective – tua
‘tua’ agrees in gender (feminine) and number (singular) with ‘bolsa’; it is the informal ‘your’.
Preposition + article – na
‘na’ is the contraction of ‘em’ + ‘a’, meaning ‘on the’. It must match the feminine noun ‘balança’.
Polite formula – por favor
‘por favor’ is a standard way to soften a request; it is placed after the command in Portuguese.
🗨In Conversation
Coloca a tua bolsa na balança, por favor.
Please place your bag on the scale.
Claro, aqui está.
Sure, here it is.
✕Common Mistakes
Coloca a sua bolsa na balança, por favor.
Mixes informal verb form ‘coloca’ (tu) with formal possessive ‘sua’; keep both informal or both formal.
Ponha a tua bolsa na balança, por favor.
‘Ponha’ is the formal imperative (você); it should be paired with ‘sua’ or used with ‘você’.
Coloca a tua bolsa na balança, porfavor.
‘Por favor’ is two separate words; writing it as one word is incorrect.
Coloca a tua bolsa no balança, por favor.
If you mistakenly use ‘no balança’, it’s wrong because ‘balança’ is feminine; the correct contraction is ‘na’.
↔Alternatives
Põe a tua bolsa na balança, por favor.
Put your bag on the scale, please.
Coloque a sua bolsa na balança, por favor.
Please place your bag on the scale. (formal)
Deixa a tua bolsa na balança, por favor.
Leave your bag on the scale, please.
Cultural Tip
In Portugal, using ‘tu’ signals familiarity; if you’re speaking to a stranger or someone older, switch to the formal ‘você’ or ‘o senhor/a senhora’ and use ‘coloque’ instead of ‘coloca’. The phrase ‘por favor’ is essential for politeness – omitting it can sound abrupt. Also, note that ‘balança’ is feminine, so the article contracts to ‘na’.