Appendix-8 Pronouns

A pronoun, as indicated in the Greek root pro- (in place of) + noun, is used as a
substitute for a noun or noun equivalents such a noun phrases or noun
clauses. Pronouns can be divided into stressed (Eu dei o livro para ele ontem) and
unstressed pronouns (Dei-lhe o livro ontem). This appendix focuses on
unstressed object pronouns, also known as clitics.
The traditional rules used in this appendix were adapted from several
Portuguese grammars. Given the many details of these rules, it is preferable to
have them in a separate appendix. Their actual application is a challenge even
for native speakers who normally do not know most of them. Therefore, the
coursework in this book simplified them. The teacher has the option of using
the simplified explanation of the book (pages 248-249, 255; or the advanced
explanation at 250-254) or this adapted and shorter version of the grammars.

Table of Subject and Object Pronouns

Object Pronouns (Pronomes Oblquos)

Subject Pronoun Stressed Unstressed or Clitics Stressed
(Port. Pronomes Retos) Direct Indirect Preceded by a
Objects Objects Preposition
eu me me mim, migo
tu, voc (or c as only, in the
te (lhe) te (lhe) ti, tigo, voc
spoken language)
ele, ela (voc is a form of address.
As all forms of address it is a 2nd
person, but it is used with verbs in o, a, lhe ele, ela
the 3rd person. In Brazil, it may be se se si, sigo
found either with 2nd or 3rd persons
object pronouns)
ns os nos ns, nosco
vs vos vos vs, vosco
eles, elas, vocs (2nd person, but as
os, as lhes eles, elas, vocs
a form of address, it is used with
se se si, sigo
verbs in 3rd person plural)

Examples: - Voc vem agora?

- C vem agora?
- Quero voc aqui agora. (But not *Quero c aqui agora.)
- Trouxe isso pra voc. C me trouxe isso? Legal.
- Elas trouxeram isso para mim e no para ti.
- No falaram comigo, preferiram falar contigo.
- Acabam de enviar essa caixa para voc.
- Te enviaram essa caixa.

Vieram entreg-los. (o, a, os, as -lo, -la, -los, -las after r, s, z)

Viram-no sozinho. (o, a, os, as -no, -na, -nos, -nas after nasals)
454 Pois no Simes

Clitic Attachment According to the Norm (portugus-padro)

Clitic pronouns can be:

1. Postverbal (Enclitic), when attached after the verb:

Enviei-lhe duas mensagens.

2. Preverbal (Proclitic), when attached before the verb:

Eu lhe enviei duas mensagens.

3. Inside the Verb (Mesoclitic): Enviar-lhe-emos duas mensagens; Enviar-lhe-ia

as duas, mas no pude. It is only possible to put a pronoun inside the verb with
the conditional and the synthetic forms of the future. In these cases, the verb
ending is separated and the pronoun inserted before the verb ending.
In Portugal, the placement of pronouns inside the verb seems to be still in
use. In Brazil, normally it is not used, but sometimes it can be found in literary
style and for special effect, especially for humorous or ironic effects. In Brazil,
it has in general been replaced by preverbal placement: Ns lhe enviaremos duas
mensagens. Eu lhe enviaria as duas, mas no pude.

General Rules According to the Norm

Below is an adapted version of the rules of pronoun placement, but it is not

the scope of Pois no to discuss all possible cases, especially the ones that are
limited to personal preferences of Portuguese writers, e.g. Conformado pelas
suas palavras, o tio calar-se, s para lhe no dar assentimento. (Alves
Redol). Such stylistic preferences can be treated more adequately in a regular
Portuguese grammar course.
You will notice that sometimes the rules are unnecessary. For example, to
say that a pause prevents preverbal placement (rule 2. below) is not actually
needed, because it repeats a general rule that requires postverbal placement
when a verb starts a sentence. But this appendix repeats many of the grammar
explanations so that students will have a preliminary idea of what they will find
when consulting Portuguese grammars.

Clitic Attachment With One Verb

Keep in mind that Brazilian Portuguese speakers prefer to place clitics before
the main verb and not use the vowel-like pronouns o, a, os, as.

Before (and middle)

1. Verbs in the simple future and conditional: the pronoun goes either before
(prclise) or in the middle (mesclise) of the verb.
 Appendixes 455

O professor te explicar tudo. O professor explicar-te- tudo.

Eu lhe diria tudo. Eu dir-lhe-ia tudo.
Ns o venderemos. Vend-lo-emos.
Se quisessem o venderamos. Se quisessem vend-lo-amos.

2. It is recommended to place the pronoun before the verb, if the one-word

verb is preceded by negative words (no, nunca, jamais, ningum, nada, etc.),
adverbs (bem, mal, ainda, j, sempre, s, talvez, etc.), the numeral ambos and the
indefinite pronouns (todo, tudo, algum, outro, qualquer, etc.) and there is no pause
between these words and the verb.

Ainda no o achei. No desisto jamais. Achei-o! Aqui est.

Mal as viu e comeou a chorar. Bem... viu-as e comeou a chorar.
Ambos me incomodam. Referia-me a ambos. Incomodam-me
sim.
No lhe pareceu correto. No, pareceu-lhe correto.

3. In sentences starting with interrogative and exclamatory words in sentences

expressing wishes or desires.

Que essa viagem lhes traga muito sucesso.

4. In subordinate clauses even if the conjunction is omitted.

S vamos se o deixarem entrar.

5. When the gerund is the object of a preposition.

Em se tratando de falar besteira pode deixar que ele campeo.

(In Brazil, this placement usually occurs for witty effects.)

6. In sentences with alternative words

Decida de uma vez! Ou voc me ama ou me adora.

7. When a sentence in reverse order starts with a direct object or a predicate.

Limpinha nos deixaram a casa.

Neither Before Nor After

If the past participle is by itself, the stressed prepositional pronoun is used.

Derrotado por ela, pediu-lhe perdo e chorou.

456 Pois no Simes

Either Before or After

1. In the case of an infinitive by itself, even if modified by a negative word, it is

common to place the pronoun after the verb, but it is also acceptable to place
it before the verb.

Tive grande prazer em conhec-la.

Tive grande prazer em a conhecer. (Correct, but much less common)
Fico sonhando com algum para me levar daqui.
Fico sonhando com algum para levar-me daqui. (Correct, but less
common in Brazil)
Fico sonhando com algum para lev-lo daqui.
Fico sonhando com algum para o levar daqui. (Correct, but less common
in Brazil)

2. A lesser pause (with a coma, colon, etc. but not with a period) allows for
postverbal or preverbal placement.

Depois, levaram-nos ao stio.

Pensava com os meus botes que eles... levaram-nos ao lugar errado, u!
(Cf. Pensava com os meus botes que eles nos levaram (que eles nos
haviam levado) ao lugar errado.)

After

1. Postverbal placement is required when the infinitive is preceded by the

preposition a and when the pronoun is a vowel-like pronoun (o, os, a, as).

Embora continuasse a provoc-los, no lhe deram a mnima ateno.

2. Postverbal placement is obligatory when a word that normally requires a

preverbal placement does not refer to the verb it is adjacent to.

- Sim, sim, disse ela desvairadamente, mas avisemos o cocheiro que nos
leve at a casa de Cristiano.
- No, apeio-me aqui ... (Machado de Assis, OC, 1, 690 Cited in Celso
Cunha e Lindley Cintra, Nova gramtica do portugus contemporneo, Rio de
Janeiro, Nova Fronteira, 1985, p. 304)
 Appendixes 457

Clitic Attachment With More Than One Verb

Before the Auxiliary Verb

1. The pronoun is placed before the auxiliar verb when the same conditions
for one verb are met: negative words (no, nunca, jamais, ningum, nada, etc.),
adverbs (bem, mal, ainda, j, sempre, s, talvez, etc.), the numeral ambos and the
indefinite pronouns (todo, tudo, algum, outro, qualquer, etc. ).

No se deve danar assim na mesa do professor.

Ningum nos pde pagar.
Que o fez vir?
Talvez nos venha fazendo de bobo h muito tempo.
O que me poderia acontecer?

Before the Main Verb

1. In Brazil, given the tendency toward preverbal placement, pronouns that

start with a consonant go before the main verb in the infinitive and gerund,
in written and spoken language. Vowel-like pronouns tend to go after the main
verb (see below). In Portugal the pronoun is placed after, regardless of its type.

Somente queria lhe explicar para que compreendesse.

Estava lhe explicando para que compreendesse.

2. In subordinate clauses even if the conjunction is omitted, place the pronoun

before the conjugated (auxiliary) verb. It is rare to omit the subordinate
conjunction, but it is accepted by grammarians, when properly done.

Peo-lhe nos permita analisar os documentos encontrados.

( = Peo-lhe que nos permita analisar os documentos encontrados.)

After the Auxiliary Verb

1. The pronoun is placed after the auxiliary verb, when conditions for
preverbal attachment are not advised. (The use of a hyphen to reflect
language prosody is more appropriate in Portugal than in Brazil)

Ia se deixando levar pela paisagem. or Ia-se deixando levar pela paisagem.

Vo nos buscar, espero. Vo-nos buscar, espero.
458 Pois no Simes

After the Main Verb

1. The pronoun goes after the main verb when the main verb is in the
infinitive or gerund. In practice, however, this placement is more common in
Portugal. In Brazil, the placement after the main verb is more common when
using vowel-like pronouns, as in examples b and g.

a. Ningum vai falar-lhe?

b. No porque isso vai assust-lo.
c. Qual o problema? Estamos contando-lhe a verdade.
d. Somente queria explicar-lhe para que compreendesse.
e. Estava explicando-lhe para que compreendesse.
f. Vieram comunicar-nos o fato.
g. S queria ajud-los.

Before or After

1. With the main verb in the past participle, the pronoun can go before or
after the auxiliary verb. Normative grammars state that unstressed pronouns
are linked to the supporting verb, not to the past participle, regardless of
placing them before or after the supporting verb. Consequently, do not place
pronouns of any kind after past participles.

In Brazil, vowel-like pronouns tend to appear before the supporting verb,

in the presence of past participles. Pronouns starting with a consonant may go
before the past participle.

Recentemente tenho-lhe escrito todos os dias, mas antes eu no escrevia

tanto assim, no.
(The use of a hyphen is suggested, because it is supposed to reflect
language prosody. However, some argue that this is more appropriate to
the rhythmic trends of Peninsular Portuguese. But it is still a common
practice in Brazil, to use the hyphen as illustrated here.)

However,

Eu lhe tenho escrito muito nos ltimos dias, algo que eu no fazia h
muito tempo.
(Common usage in Brazil)

Eu os havia conhecido em uma festa.

(Common usage in Brazil)

Sua me a havia obrigado a sair de casa antes do incidente.

(Common usage in Brazil)