Memory Palace
A giant ancient compass on a navigator's desk — spin the needle and learn the words for direction and position in Portuguese.
Mastering compass vocabulary is one of the fastest wins in Portuguese. These 8 words cover the everyday language you need to navigate A giant ancient compass on a navigator's desk and more. In Loci, each word is anchored to a vivid memory palace scene so it sticks in long-term memory — not just until your next practice session.
here
Eu estou aqui.
I am here.
there
O restaurante é ali. Ela mora lá.
The restaurant is over there. She lives there.
near / close
O mercado é perto daqui.
The market is near here.
far
O aeroporto é longe daqui.
The airport is far from here.
left
Vire à esquerda na esquina.
Turn left at the corner.
right
O banco é à direita.
The bank is on the right.
front / ahead
Siga em frente por duas quadras.
Go straight ahead for two blocks.
behind / back
O estacionamento é atrás do prédio.
The parking lot is behind the building.
| # | Portuguese | English | Type | Example Sentence | Memory Hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | aqui | here | function wordTier 1 | Eu estou aqui.I am here. | 'Aqui' is pronounced 'ah-KEE' — sounds like 'a KEY'. The key to any map is knowing where HERE is. Th… |
| 2 | ali/lá | there | function wordTier 1 | O restaurante é ali. Ela mora lá.The restaurant is over there. She lives there. | 'Ali' sounds like 'ah-LEE' — like ALI Baba, always off on a distant adventure. 'Lá' sounds like 'LAH… |
| 3 | perto | near / close | function wordTier 1 | O mercado é perto daqui.The market is near here. | 'Perto' sounds like 'PEAR-too' — a PEAR placed close to you, near enough to grab. If it's perto, it'… |
| 4 | longe | far | function wordTier 1 | O aeroporto é longe daqui.The airport is far from here. | 'Longe' sounds like 'LAWN-zhee' — think LONG + LOUNGE. Something far away requires a LONG journey. L… |
| 5 | esquerda | left | function wordTier 1 | Vire à esquerda na esquina.Turn left at the corner. | 'Esquerda' sounds like 'es-KEHR-dah' — the 'squer' sounds like SKELETON or SCARE. The scary skeleton… |
| 6 | direita | right | function wordTier 1 | O banco é à direita.The bank is on the right. | 'Direita' sounds like 'jee-RAY-tah' — think DIRECTOR or DIRECT. The director always points you in th… |
| 7 | frente | front / ahead | function wordTier 1 | Siga em frente por duas quadras.Go straight ahead for two blocks. | 'Frente' sounds like 'FREN-chee' — like FRENCH. The French mime always walks straight ahead, facing … |
| 8 | atrás | behind / back | function wordTier 1 | O estacionamento é atrás do prédio.The parking lot is behind the building. | 'Atrás' sounds like 'ah-TRAHS' — almost like ATLAS. An atlas you left BEHIND, stuck to the BACK. Atr… |
How Loci Teaches These Words
In the Loci app, these 8 words are placed inside the The Compass memory palace. Each word is anchored to a specific location — a locus — with a vivid, absurd mnemonic scene designed by memory champions. When you walk through the palace during review, the scenes pop back into your mind automatically, pulling the Portuguese word with them.
Here's how Loci makes three of these words unforgettable.
The north arrow is stuck pointing straight DOWN at the compass itself — it can't find north because it only points HERE. An ICKY (aqui → ah-KEE → icky) green slime oozes from the arrow's tip, marking the exact spot: 'X marks HERE!' The slime won't move — it's permanently stuck right HERE.
'Aqui' is pronounced 'ah-KEE' — sounds like 'a KEY'. The key to any map is knowing where HERE is. The north arrow keys you into your current location.
The south point stretches and ELONGATES, pointing far away from you — THERE, in the distance. A tiny ALI BABA (ali → Ali) rides a LLAMA (lá → llama) on the horizon where the south point aims. You squint: 'He's over THERE!' Ali waves from the back of his llama, impossibly far away.
'Ali' sounds like 'ah-LEE' — like ALI Baba, always off on a distant adventure. 'Lá' sounds like 'LAH' — like a LLAMA standing far away. Both mean 'there' (ali = visible there, lá = general there).
The east needle shrinks until it's barely a nub — it's so NEAR the center it almost disappears. A giant PEAR (perto → PEAR-toe) is balanced on the needle tip, so CLOSE to the center it could roll into it. You reach out and your finger is NEAR enough to touch it. The pear wobbles CLOSE.
'Perto' sounds like 'PEAR-too' — a PEAR placed close to you, near enough to grab. If it's perto, it's pear-close.
Learn for Free
Reading a word list is one thing. Loci takes these 8 compass words and places them inside a vivid memory palace with mnemonics, example sentences, and spaced repetition. Words stop slipping away.