sobre

Sobre is a preposition used in Portuguese and Spanish with several related meanings. It commonly indicates position on or above a surface, as in Portuguese: O quadro fica sobre a mesa (The painting is on the table); and Spanish: El cuadro está sobre la mesa. It also introduces topics or subjects, as in Portuguese: um livro sobre ciência (a book about science) and Spanish: un libro sobre historia (a book about history). In addition to location and topic, sobre can convey a sense of aboutness or regardingness in conversation and writing.

In Portuguese, sobre is often interchangeable with em cima de for physical placement, though sobre can carry a more formal or abstract tone. It is also used with verbs such as falar sobre or discutir sobre to mean "to talk about" or "to discuss." In Spanish, the same distinction exists between physical placement and topical meaning, with sobre being common in everyday speech and writing.

A secondary meaning in Spanish is as a noun: el sobre, meaning envelope. This noun form refers to the paper container for a letter, as in Puse la carta en el sobre (I put the letter in the envelope). The etymology of sobre traces to the Latin super, meaning above or over, reflected in both Romance languages.

In practice, the sense of sobre is determined by context: it can indicate physical location, subject matter, or, in its noun form in Spanish, an object used to mail correspondence.