A2 Portuguese GrammarObject Pronouns (Accusative & Dative)
Master Portuguese direct and indirect object pronouns. Learn accusative pronouns (me, te, o/a, nos, os/as) for direct objects and dative pronouns (me, te, lhe, nos, lhes) for indirect objects. Understand pronoun placement rules, contractions, and how to use both pronouns together in one sentence.
1Direct Object Pronouns (Accusative)
Direct object pronouns replace the noun receiving the action directly (answering 'what?' or 'whom?'). In Portuguese: me (me), te (you informal), o/a (him/her/it/you formal), nos (us), os/as (them/you plural). The forms o/a/os/as change based on gender and number of the noun they replace.
Direct Object Pronouns
| Person | Pronoun | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sing. | me | Ele viu-me. | He saw me. |
| 2nd sing. | te | Eu ajudo-te. | I help you. |
| 3rd sing. masc. | o | Comprei-o. | I bought it (masc). |
| 3rd sing. fem. | a | Vi-a ontem. | I saw her yesterday. |
| 1st plur. | nos | Eles chamaram-nos. | They called us. |
| 3rd plur. | os/as | Conheci-os. | I met them. |
Examples
Comprei o livro. → Comprei-o.
I bought the book. → I bought it.
o replaces 'o livro' (masc.)
Vejo a Maria todos os dias. → Vejo-a todos os dias.
I see Maria every day. → I see her every day.
a replaces 'a Maria' (fem.)
Ela não me ouve.
She doesn't hear me.
me = direct object (me)
Vou ajudar-te amanhã.
I'm going to help you tomorrow.
te attached to infinitive
2Indirect Object Pronouns (Dative)
Indirect object pronouns replace the noun receiving the action indirectly (answering 'to whom?' or 'for whom?'). In Portuguese: me (to me), te (to you informal), lhe (to him/her/you formal), nos (to us), lhes (to them/you plural). These are used with verbs of giving, telling, showing, etc.
Indirect Object Pronouns
| Person | Pronoun | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sing. | me | Deu-me o livro. | Gave me the book. |
| 2nd sing. | te | Disse-te a verdade. | Told you the truth. |
| 3rd sing. | lhe | Mostrei-lhe a foto. | Showed him/her the photo. |
| 1st plur. | nos | Enviaram-nos a carta. | Sent us the letter. |
| 3rd plur. | lhes | Dei-lhes os bilhetes. | Gave them the tickets. |
Examples
Dei o presente à Maria. → Dei-lhe o presente.
I gave the gift to Maria. → I gave her the gift.
lhe replaces 'Ã Maria'
Ele telefonou-me ontem.
He called me yesterday.
me = indirect object (to me)
Vou escrever-lhes uma carta.
I'm going to write them a letter.
lhes = to them
Podes emprestar-me o teu carro?
Can you lend me your car?
me = to me (indirect)
3Pronoun Placement Rules
In European Portuguese, object pronouns typically follow the verb (enclisis) in affirmative sentences. They come before the verb (proclisis) after negative words, question words, conjunctions, and certain adverbs. After verb forms ending in -r, -s, -z, the pronouns o/a/os/as become -lo/-la/-los/-las. After nasal sounds, they become -no/-na/-nos/-nas.
Pronoun Placement
| Context | Position | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | After verb | Vejo-o amanhã. |
| Negative | Before verb | Não o vejo. |
| Question word | Before verb | Quem te disse? |
| After -r, -s, -z | -lo/-la form | Vou comprá-lo. |
Examples
Quero comprá-lo.
I want to buy it.
comprar + o = comprá-lo
Não a conheço.
I don't know her.
não triggers proclisis
Fizeram-no ontem.
They did it yesterday.
fizeram + o = fizeram-no (nasal)
Onde o encontraste?
Where did you find it?
onde triggers proclisis
4Combining Direct and Indirect Objects
When both direct and indirect object pronouns appear, the indirect comes first and they contract. Common contractions: me + o = mo, te + o = to, lhe + o = lho, nos + o = no-lo, lhes + o = lho. These contractions are more common in European Portuguese; Brazilian Portuguese often uses a different structure.
Pronoun Contractions
| Indirect + Direct | Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| me + o/a | mo/ma | Deu-mo. |
| te + o/a | to/ta | Empresto-to. |
| lhe + o/a | lho/lha | Mostrei-lho. |
| nos + o/a | no-lo/no-la | Enviaram-no-lo. |
Examples
Deste-me o livro? → Deste-mo?
Did you give me the book? → Did you give it to me?
me + o = mo
Empresto-te a caneta. → Empresto-ta.
I lend you the pen. → I lend it to you.
te + a = ta
Ela mostrou-lhe as fotos. → Ela mostrou-lhas.
She showed him the photos. → She showed them to him.
lhe + as = lhas
Vou dar-to amanhã.
I'll give it to you tomorrow.
te + o = to (with infinitive)