Indirect Pronouns — Brazilian Portuguese Grammar

Indirect object pronouns replace the person or thing that indirectly receives the action of a verb. They typically answer the questions "to whom?" or "for whom?" the action is performed.

Identifying the Indirect Object

The indirect object is the beneficiary or recipient of an action. It is often introduced by prepositions like or .

Eu dei o presente para a minha mãe.
I gave the gift to my mother.
Ele escreveu uma carta ao amigo.
He wrote a letter to the friend.

In the sentences above, "my mother" and "the friend" are the indirect objects. The pronouns will replace these phrases.

The Indirect Object Pronouns

Each subject pronoun has a corresponding indirect object pronoun. Note that the third-person forms (, ) are distinct from their direct object counterparts ().

(I) → (to/for me)
(you, informal) → (to/for you)
(he / she / you, formal) → (to/for him / her / you)
(we) → (to/for us)
(you all) → (to/for you all)
(they / you all, formal) → (to/for them / you all)

Using the first example from above:

Eu dei o presente para a minha mãe. → Eu lhe dei o presente.
I gave her the gift.

Pronoun Placement

In Brazilian Portuguese, these pronouns are most commonly placed before the verb.

Ela me contou um segredo.
She told me a secret.
Nós te enviamos o email.
We sent you the email.
Eu lhes agradeço pela ajuda.
I thank you all for the help.

This placement before the verb is mandatory in sentences with negative words (like , ) or question words (like , ).

Eu nunca lhe disse isso.
I never told him that.
Quem te deu essa informação?
Who gave you that information?

In more formal contexts or with imperative commands, the pronoun can be attached to the end of the verb with a hyphen.

Diga-me a verdade.
Tell me the truth.
Entregue-lhes o pacote.
Deliver the package to them.

Clarifying 'Lhe' and 'Lhes'

The pronouns and can be ambiguous. can mean to him, to her, or to you (formal). Similarly, can mean to them or to you all.

Because of this, in everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, it is very common to use the prepositional phrase (, , , etc.) instead of the pronoun for clarity.

Eu dei o livro para ele.
I gave the book to him. (Instead of the more ambiguous: Eu lhe dei o livro.)
O que você vai comprar para eles?
What are you going to buy for them? (Instead of: O que você vai lhes comprar?)

Sometimes, both are used for emphasis, though this is less common in casual speech.

Eu lhe dei o dinheiro, a ele.
I gave the money to him.

Common Verbs

Certain verbs frequently take an indirect object, including:

(to thank)
(to tell)
(to give)
(to say)
(to deliver)
(to explain)
(to call)
(to show)
(to obey)
(to ask for)
(to ask a question)

O chefe nos pediu um relatório.
The boss asked us for a report.
Você pode me explicar isso de novo?
Can you explain this to me again?

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