What are object pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese?

Brazilian Portuguese object pronouns are words that replace a noun that is not the subject of a sentence. Typically, these are nouns that are affected by the action of a verb or that follow a preposition. 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.

  Translation: 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.

    Translation: I gave flowers to Maria. → I gave them to Maria.
  • Eu dei flores para Maria. → Eu dei-lhe flores.

    Translation: 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.

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:

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 verb via a hyphen:

  Eu adoro-as.

  Translation: I love them.

• before the verb as a separate word (often informal):

  A mãe lhe comprou um brinquedo.

  Translation: The mother bought her a toy.

• between the verb stem and the ending (rare, only in certain tenses):

  Ajudar-nos-ia se chegasse um pouco mais cedo.

  Translation: 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.

Below, we’ll give you a brief introduction to each category of unstressed pronouns, and direct you towards resources where you can learn more.

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!