Hi!
I’d like to know when to use “abaixo” and when “debaixo”.
Thanks!
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Debaixo is typically used when something is physically directly beneath something else (o cão está debaixo da mesa, o mecânico está debaixo do carro), whereas abaixo is used when something is under or below in a more generic sense (ele nada abaixo da superfície, a cave está abaixo do solo).
Abaixo can also be used to describe lower rank or status (ele se sente triste porque a sua nova função é abaixo da anterior - he is sad because his new role is below his previous one).
I think (but maybe someone with more grasp of these things will come around and correct me) that the two prepositions can often be used interchangeably without drastically changing the meaning.
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@dfroldan, @Tomas already explained it quite well. I’d only note that in general, the two terms are not used interchangeably. If it helps, the closest English correspondence for debaixo would be under, while abaixo better corresponds to below. We do have a Learning Note on this subject: Adverbs of Place: Above and Below | Practice Portuguese
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Obrigado, Tomas!
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Obrigado, Joseph!
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