Brazilian Portuguese object pronouns are words that replace a that is not the of a sentence. Typically, these are nouns that are affected by the action of a or that follow a . Most object pronouns will be translated into English using words like “me,” “him,” “us,” or “them.”
There are two main categories of object pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese, which follow different grammatical rules.
Stressed Object Pronouns → These pronouns always follow a preposition.
Eu falei com o João ontem. → Eu falei com ele ontem.
I talked to João yesterday. → I talked to him yesterday.
Unstressed Object Pronouns → These do not follow a preposition, though sometimes they replace a noun that would have followed a preposition.
Eu dei flores para Maria. → Eu dei-as para Maria.
I gave flowers to Maria. → I gave them to Maria.
Eu dei flores para Maria. → Eu dei-lhe flores.
I gave flowers to Maria. → I gave her flowers.
Unstressed object pronouns come in several different varieties: direct object pronouns, indirect object pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and reciprocal pronouns.
In this post, we’ll cover the forms of all of the object pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese, and give you an introduction to how and when to use each type of pronoun. Let’s start!
The forms of the object pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese are summarized in the table below.
Subject Pronoun | Object Pronouns | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Stressed Pronoun | Unstressed Pronoun | English | |
eu(I) | mim | me | me |
tu(you) | ti | te | you (sg.) |
você(you) | você | o / lhe / sea / lhe / se | |
ele(he, it) | ele, si | him, it | |
ela(she, it) | ela, si | her, it | |
nós(we) | nós | nos | us |
vós(you) | vós | vos | you (pl.) |
vocês(you) | vocês | ||
eles(they) | eles, si | os / lhes / se | them |
elas(they) | elas, si | as / lhes / se | |
Keep reading to learn more about these two main types of pronouns and when to use each one!
Stressed pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese always follow prepositions. Their forms are given below:
Subject Pronoun | Stressed Pronoun | com + pronoun |
|---|---|---|
eu(I) | mim | comigo |
tu(you)você(you, sg.) | tivocê | contigocom você |
ele(he, it)ela(she, it) | ele, siela, si | com elecom ela |
nós(we) | nós | conosco |
vós(you pl.)vocês(you pl.) | vósvocês | convoscocom vocês |
eles(they)elas(they) | eles, sielas, si | com elescom elas |
Generally you will see the full form of a stressed pronoun, but some object pronouns will form a when used after the word com(with). For example:
Você quer ir ao cinema comigo?
Do you want to go to the cinema with me?
However, this does not take place if nós(us) and vós(you, pl.) are followed by outros(other), mesmos(selves), todos(all), ambos(both).
Terá que fazer o trabalho com nós mesmos.
You will (really) have to do the work with us (ourselves).
Stressed pronouns should always follow a , which means that you’re most likely to use stressed pronouns used to replace nouns that are used…
…as indirect objects → These are nouns that benefit from the action of a verb, often by receiving something from the subject.
O garçom serve o café para ela.
The waiter serves the coffee to her.
…as agents of verbs → This is the noun that performs an action of a passive verb (this is the noun that follows “by” in English).
O livro foi escrito por Miguel. → O livro foi escrito por ele.
The book was written by Miguel. → The book was written by him.
Check out our post on the passive voice in Brazilian Portuguese to learn more!
…in other types of → Other nouns that follow prepositions may be used in phrases that complete the meaning of a noun, verb, or adjective, or that simply provide descriptive information.
Tenho toda a confiança em ti.
I have all the trust in you.
Ele passou por cima de nós.
They stepped over us.
You may occasionally see stressed pronouns used in other contexts as well, but the pronoun will always follow a preposition. For example, in the sentence below, the stressed pronoun replaces a that is placed after a(to) as a form of emphasis.
É a ela que eu amo.
It is her who I love.
The unstressed object pronouns (also known as “clitic pronouns”) in Brazilian Portuguese are object pronouns that typically do not follow prepositions. Instead they appear in other positions in a sentence. They can appear:
attached to the end of a via a hyphen:
Eu adoro-as.
I love them.
before the verb as a separate word (often informal):
A mãe lhe comprou um brinquedo.
The mother bought her a toy.
between the verb and the ending (rare, only in certain tenses):
Ajudar-nos-ia se chegasse um pouco mais cedo.
It would help us if you arrive a little earlier.
The forms of the unstressed pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese are given below. Though they are divided into different categories, all unstressed pronouns are placed in the sentence according to the rules above.
Subject pronouns | Direct object pronoun "them" | Indirect object pronoun “to/for them” | Reflexive pronouns “themself” | Reciprocal pronouns “each other” |
|---|---|---|---|---|
eu(I) | me | |||
tu(you sg.) | te | |||
você(you sg.) | o, a | lhe | se | |
ele(he, it)ela(she, it) | oa | lhe | se | |
nós(we) | nos | nos | ||
vós(you pl.) | vos | vos | ||
vocês(you pl.) | vos / vocês / os, as* | vos / lhes* | vos / se* | vos / se |
eles(they m.) | os | lhes | se | se |
elas(they f.) | as | |||
Below, we’ll give you a brief introduction to each category of unstressed pronouns, and direct you towards resources where you can learn more.
Direct object pronouns are unstressed object pronouns that are used to replace nouns that are directly affected by the action of a verb. In Brazilian Portuguese, these are nouns that typically are not preceded by a preposition.
Trouxe um bolo para Maria. → Trouxe-o para Maria.
I brought a cake for Maria. → I brought it for Maria.
The direct object of a sentence answers the question o que/quem(what/who).
To learn more about direct object pronouns check out our post on direct and indirect object pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese!
Indirect object pronouns are unstressed object pronouns that are used to replace nouns that benefit from the action of a verb, often by receiving something from the subject. Indirect object nouns are typically preceded by a preposition like para(for), and represent a person “to whom” or “for whom” something is done. For example:
A mãe comprou um brinquedo para a Sabrina. → A mãe comprou-lhe um brinquedo.
The mother bought a toy for Sabrina. → The mother bought her a toy.
The indirect object of a sentence answers the question para quem?(to whom?).
To learn more about direct object pronouns check out our post on direct and indirect object pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese!
Reflexive and reciprocal pronouns are used differently in terms of meaning:
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are identical (these are translated using “-self/-selves” pronouns)
Eu vi-me no espelho.
I saw myself in the mirror.
Reciprocal pronouns are used when the subject and object both act on one another (these are translated as “each other”)
As crianças abraçaram-se.
The children hugged each other.
But though the meanings of these pronouns are different, when the subject is plural, their forms are identical, so often sentences that use these pronouns can have more than one meaning:
Joaquim e Pedro enganaram-se.
✅Joaquim and Pedro deceived themselves. (reflexive)
✅Joaquim and Pedro deceived each other. (reciprocal)
To avoid ambiguity, use the following expressions with them:
add a mim mesmo(myself), a ti mesmo(yourself), a si mesmo(yourself), to reflexives:
Joaquim e Pedro enganaram-se a si mesmos.
Joaquim and Pedro deceived themselves.
add a mim mesmo(myself) to reciprocals:
Joaquim e Pedro enganaram-se um ao outro.
Joaquim and Pedro deceived each other.
You can learn more about these types of pronouns from our post on reflexive and reciprocal pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese.
In this post, we’ve discussed the stressed and unstressed forms of object pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese and learned that…
The stressed forms are always preceded by prepositions and can function as:
indirect objects
agents of passive verbs
in other types of prepositional phrases
The unstressed forms are not preceded by prepositions, but can be used in three different positions:
attached to the end of a verb by a hyphen (most common)
before the verb (often informal)
between the verb stem and the ending (rarely, and in restricted contexts)
Unstressed pronouns can be used for several different types of objects, and their form sometimes changes depending on the type of object they replace, placing them into four categories:
Direct object pronouns (“them”)
Indirect object pronouns (“to/for them”)
Reflexive pronouns (“themselves”)
Reciprocal pronouns (“each other”)
Review what you’ve learned with this study sheet with all of the contracted forms of object pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese, or maybe instead you’re ready to practice using the proper form of object pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese!
