Portuguese Phrase
Onde posso guardar minhas coisas de valor?
Meaning
The sentence asks for a place where the speaker can safely store their valuable items. It is a polite, neutral request often used in hotels, hostels, or any setting where personal belongings need protection.
When to use
Use this phrase when you arrive at a hotel, hostel, Airbnb, or a friend's house and need to know where the safe, locker, or reception desk is for keeping passports, jewelry, electronics, or other valuables.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ondepossoguardarminhascoisasdevalor?
Onde (question adverb)
‘Onde’ asks for a location and is placed at the beginning of a yes‑no or wh‑question.
Posso (verb poder, 1st person singular)
‘Posso’ is the present indicative of ‘poder’, meaning ‘can/I am able to’, used to make polite requests.
Guardar (infinitive)
The infinitive verb follows ‘poder’ to express the action that can be performed: ‘to store/keep’.
Minhas (possessive adjective)
Matches the feminine plural noun ‘coisas’; it agrees in gender and number.
Coisas de valor (noun phrase)
‘Coisas’ = things, ‘de valor’ = of value; together they mean ‘valuables’.
Question mark
In Portuguese, the opening ‘?’ is preceded by an opening question mark ‘¿’ only in Spanish; Portuguese uses only the closing ‘?’
🗨In Conversation
Onde posso guardar minhas coisas de valor?
Where can I store my valuables?
Temos um cofre no balcão da recepção. Posso ajudá‑lo a guardar seus pertences.
We have a safe at the reception desk. I can help you store your belongings.
✕Common Mistakes
Onde eu posso guardar minhas coisas de valor?
The subject pronoun ‘eu’ is unnecessary because ‘posso’ already indicates the speaker.
Onde posso guardar minhas coisas valiosas?
Learners often say ‘coisas valiosas’; both are correct, but ‘coisas de valor’ sounds more natural in a request.
Onde posso colocar minhas coisas de valor?
Using ‘colocar’ is acceptable but less formal; ‘guardar’ is the preferred verb for safekeeping.
↔Alternatives
Onde posso deixar meus objetos de valor?
Where can I leave my valuable objects?
Onde há um cofre para minhas coisas valiosas?
Where is a safe for my valuable things?
Tem algum lugar seguro para guardar meus pertences?
Is there a safe place to keep my belongings?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, most hotels provide a ‘cofre’ (safe) at the reception or in the room. Hostels often have lockers that you can rent for a small fee. It’s polite to ask ‘onde posso guardar…’ rather than demanding a spot, and you’ll usually be directed to the most secure option available.