Portuguese Phrase
Eles estão lá no corredor.
Meaning
The sentence means 'They are there in the hallway.' It tells the listener where a group of people is located, using the verb estar for a temporary position and the adverb lá to stress that the place is away from the speaker.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need to point out the location of a group of people inside a building—schools, offices, apartments, etc.—especially when the hallway is not the immediate vicinity of the speaker.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Elesestãolánocorredor
Eles (pronoun)
Third‑person plural personal pronoun meaning 'they' (masculine or mixed gender).
estão (estar)
Present indicative of the verb estar, used for temporary location or state.
lá (adverb)
Adverb of place meaning 'there', indicating a location away from the speaker.
no (contraction)
Contraction of the preposition em + the masculine singular article o, meaning 'in the' or 'on the'.
corredor (noun)
Masculine singular noun meaning 'hallway' or 'corridor'.
🗨In Conversation
Onde estão os estudantes?
Where are the students?
Eles estão lá no corredor.
They are there in the hallway.
✕Common Mistakes
Eles está lá no corredor.
The verb must agree with the plural subject; use estão, not está.
Eles estão aqui no corredor.
Aqui means 'here', which changes the meaning; use lá for 'there'.
Eles estão lá corredor.
Do not omit the article; em + o contracts to no.
↔Alternatives
Eles estão no corredor.
They are in the hallway.
Eles ficam lá no corredor.
They stay there in the hallway.
Eles se encontram lá no corredor.
They meet there in the hallway.
Cultural Tip
In Brazilian Portuguese, lá contrasts with aqui (here). Using lá signals that the hallway is farther from the speaker, even if it’s just a few meters away. In formal contexts you might hear corredor de passagem, but corredor alone is perfectly natural in everyday speech.