We use subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese to replace the noun or nouns acting as the subject of the sentence. The subject is the main noun that a sentence is about and is most often is the noun that performs the action.
Unlike in English, subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese can be omitted from a sentence, since the verb ending already tells us “who” or “what” the subject is. However, there are also some cases in which the subject pronouns can’t be dropped.
Do you want to know more? In this post, we’ll review the forms and uses of subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese. Keep reading — we have the answers for you!
What are the subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese?
The subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese are illustrated in the table below:
| Number | Person | Subject pronouns | English |
|---|---|---|---|
Singular | 1st person | eu | I |
2nd person | tu, você | you | |
3rd person | ele | he, it (m.) | |
ela | she, it (f.) | ||
Plural | 1st person | nós | we |
2nd person | vós, vocês | you | |
3rd person | eles | they (m.) | |
elas | they (f.) |
The form of a subject pronoun will reflect certain features of the noun it replaces: whether it is singular or plural, whether it is masculine or feminine.
They also have different forms depending on the “person” of the pronoun:
1st person = speaker(s) → “I” or “we”
2nd person = addresse(s) → “you”
3rd person = other → “he,” “she,” “it,” “they”
‘Tu’ vs. ‘você’: How to say “you” in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, we predominantly use the forms você meaning you sg. and vocês meaning you pl. to say “you.” The forms tu meaning you sg. and vós meaning you pl. are more commonly used in informal European Portuguese.
To learn more about the differences between Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese, check out our other post!
‘Nós’ vs. ‘a gente’: How to say “we” in Brazilian Portuguese?
The standard way to say “we” in Brazilian Portuguese is to use the subject pronoun nós, however this can be replaced by a gente meaning we in informal Brazilian Portuguese. When the subject pronoun a gente substitutes nós, the third person singular conjugation form is used.
How to say “it” in Brazilian Portuguese?
As you may have noticed, there are two ways to say “it” in Brazilian Portuguese, ele and ela but neither of these is gender neutral, as “it” is in English.
This is because all nouns in Brazilian Portuguese, even those for inanimate objects, have a gender. For example, carro meaning car is masculine while cadeira meaning chair is feminine. We use ele to replace masculine nouns and ela for feminine ones:
- O carro está quebrado. → Ele está quebrado.Translation: The car is broken. → It is broken.
- A cadeira está quebrada. → Ela está quebrada.Translation: The chair is broken. → It is broken.
In impersonal sentences, where “it” in English doesn’t stand for any noun in particular, we simply do not use a subject pronoun in Brazilian Portuguese:
- Está frio.Translation: It is cold.
- Chove muito agora.Translation: It is raining a lot now.
How to use subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese?
Subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese are primarily used to replace the subject of a sentence, but they can also be used after linking verbs like ser meaning to be or estar meaning to be.
To replace a subject:
subjectsubject pronounJoão e Carlos são brasileiros. → Eles são brasileiros.Translation: João and Carlos are Brazilian. → They are Brazilian.After a linking verb:
subjectlinking verbsubject pronounO autor do livro sou eu.Translation: The author of the book is me.
Let’s take a look at each!
Using a subject pronoun to replace the subject
In Brazilian Portuguese, subject pronouns can function as the subject of a sentence.
However, because the ending of the verb often is enough to show you “who” or “what” the subject of the sentence is, subject pronouns in this context are generally optional:
But in cases where the subject can be retrieved from context, we include the subject pronoun as a form of emphasis or to add extra clarification. Here are some situations where including the subject pronoun can be helpful:
Simple emphasis or specificity
Nós, as pessoas trabalham nesta empresa, conhecemos todas as regras.Translation: We, the people who work at this company, know all the rules.To show contrast between two different subjects
Eu entrevisto a candidata enquanto você prepara a documentação.Translation: I interview the candidate while you prepare the documentation.
Using pronouns in compound subjects
When the subject pronoun is one of a list of subjects (in a “compound subject”), it is generally placed last, as in:
However, if what is being said contains something unpleasant or bears responsibility, the subject pronoun eu meaning I must be placed first in the compound subject.
Using subject pronouns after linking verbs
In Brazilian Portuguese, you can also use a subject pronoun after a linking verb like ser meaning to be or estar meaning to be, as a way to describe the subject noun. In this use, we call these “nominal predicates,” because the pronoun is acting as the predicate of the sentence.
Did you notice that in the sentence above, the verb is sou meaning I am, not é meaning he, it is? When the subject pronoun follows the linking verb, the linking verb agrees with the pronoun! This occurs because the subject and predicate are the same person or thing: the subject o autor do livro = eu.
In summary
In this post, we had a look at:
The forms of the subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese: eu, (tu), você, ele, ela, nós, (vós), vocês, eles, elas
The two main uses of subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese:
as the subject
as a nominal predicates (after linking verb)
Remember these major differences between subject pronouns in English and Brazilian Portuguese:
There is no gender neutral “it” in Brazilian Portuguese, only ele(s) (masculine) and ela(s) (feminine).
There are a lot of different ways to say “you” in Brazilian Portuguese, but typically você is used for singular “you”, and vocês is used for plural “you.”
Subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese can typically be omitted, because the verb conjugation ending will clarify the subject in most cases. Including the subject pronoun is most often a form of emphasis.
When a pronoun follows a linking verb in Brazilian Portuguese, that pronoun will be a subject pronoun and the verb will agree with that pronoun.
Are you ready to practice using subject pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese?
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