Portuguese Phrase
Em que cidade você mora?
Meaning
The sentence asks someone to name the city where they live. It’s a direct, polite way to inquire about a person’s place of residence, focusing specifically on the city rather than the street or neighborhood.
When to use
Use this question when meeting new people, during small‑talk, or when you need to know a contact’s location for travel or logistics. It works in both informal and semi‑formal contexts, especially in Brazil.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Emquecidadevocêmora
Em (preposition)
Used to indicate location; when combined with 'que' it forms the interrogative 'in which'.
que (interrogative pronoun)
Introduces a question about a specific element, here the city.
cidade (noun)
Means 'city'; works as the object of the preposition 'em'.
você (subject pronoun)
Second‑person singular pronoun, common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.
mora (verb morar)
Third‑person singular present of 'morar' (to live). With 'você' it means 'you live'.
🗨In Conversation
Oi, tudo bem? Em que cidade você mora?
Hi, how are you? Which city do you live in?
Oi! Eu moro em Salvador, na Bahia.
Hi! I live in Salvador, in Bahia.
✕Common Mistakes
Onde cidade você mora?
‘Onde’ asks for a place in general; ‘Em que’ is the correct structure for asking about a specific city.
Você mora em que cidade?
Word order sounds awkward; place the preposition before ‘que’.
Na que cidade você mora?
‘Na’ requires a specific city name; you can’t use it before the question word.
↔Alternatives
Qual é a sua cidade?
What is your city?
Em que lugar você mora?
In which place do you live?
Você mora em que cidade?
You live in which city?
Cultural Tip
Brazil is a vast country, so people often ask for the city first and then the state if they need more detail. In the South and Southeast, mentioning the state (e.g., 'São Paulo, SP') is common, while in the North people may add the region (e.g., 'Manaus, Amazonas'). Keep the tone friendly; a smile and a brief self‑introduction make the question feel natural.