Portuguese Phrase
Não toque na arte, por favor.
Meaning
The sentence politely asks someone not to touch a piece of artwork. It combines a clear negative command with the courteous ‘por favor’, making it firm yet friendly.
When to use
Use this phrase in museums, galleries, historic sites, or any setting where touching objects is prohibited. It works both for staff addressing visitors and for visitors reminding each other.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Nãotoquenaarte,porfavor.
Negação (Não)
‘Não’ is the standard word for ‘not’ or ‘no’ and is placed before the verb to negate it.
Imperativo afirmativo (toque)
‘Toque’ is the second‑person singular affirmative imperative of the verb ‘tocar’ (to touch).
Preposição + artigo (na)
‘Na’ is the contraction of ‘em’ + ‘a’, meaning ‘in/on the’. It links the verb to the noun ‘arte’.
Substantivo (arte)
‘Arte’ means ‘art’ or ‘artwork’; in a museum context it refers to the pieces on display.
Polite formula (por favor)
‘Por favor’ adds politeness; it can appear at the beginning or end of a request.
🗨In Conversation
Não toque na arte, por favor.
Please don’t touch the artwork.
Desculpe, não vou tocar.
Sorry, I won’t touch it.
✕Common Mistakes
Não tocar na arte, por favor.
The infinitive ‘tocar’ cannot be used for a direct command; you need the imperative ‘toque’.
Por favor não toque na arte.
Placing ‘por favor’ before ‘não’ changes the tone and sounds unnatural in Portuguese.
Não toque arte, por favor.
If you refer to a specific piece, you can also say ‘na obra de arte’; dropping the article entirely (‘na arte’) is correct, but ‘na arte’ is more common than ‘na arte’ without the article.
↔Alternatives
Por favor, não toque na obra de arte.
Please, do not touch the artwork.
Não toque nas peças, obrigado.
Don’t touch the pieces, thank you.
É proibido tocar na arte, por favor.
It’s forbidden to touch the art, please.
Cultural Tip
In Portuguese‑speaking countries museum staff often use a calm but firm tone. Adding ‘por favor’ softens the command and shows respect for the visitor. Remember that in Brazil and Portugal the word ‘arte’ can refer to a single piece or to the whole collection, so the phrase works in both contexts. If you need to be more formal, you can say ‘Gentilmente, não toque na arte.’