Pronouns: Following a Verb

01

Attaching Pronouns to Infinitives

When an object pronoun is attached to a verb in the infinitive form (e.g., comprar, vender, abrir), the infinitive's final -r is dropped.

If the pronouns are o, a, os, or as, they change to lo, la, los, or las. Additionally, the final vowel of the verb receives an accent to preserve its stressed sound.

• Verbs ending in -ar take an acute accent: á.
• Verbs ending in -er take a circumflex accent: ê.
• Verbs ending in -ir do not receive an accent on the final i.

• Vou comprar o livro. -> Vou comprá-lo.

  I'm going to buy the book. -> I'm going to buy it.

• Você precisa fazer a lição. -> Você precisa fazê-la.

  You need to do the lesson. -> You need to do it.

• Eles querem abrir os portões. -> Eles querem abri-los.

  They want to open the gates. -> They want to open them.

For other object pronouns (me, te, se, nos, vos, lhe, lhes), the final -r is also dropped, but no accent is added to the verb.

• Ele gostaria de convidar-nos para a festa.

  He would like to invite us to the party.

• Por favor, espere um momento para eu atender-te.

  Please, wait a moment for me to attend to you.

02

Attaching Pronouns to Affirmative Commands

In standard grammar, pronouns are always attached to the end of affirmative commands (the imperative mood).

• Ajude-me, por favor.

  Help me, please.

• Diga-nos o que aconteceu.

  Tell us what happened.

• Sente-se aqui.

  Sit here.

In everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, it is very common to place the pronoun before the verb, even though this is considered grammatically incorrect in formal writing.

• Me ajuda, por favor.

  Help me, please.

• Me diga o que aconteceu.

  Tell me what happened.

03

Attaching Pronouns to Gerunds

Pronouns can also be attached to the gerund form of a verb (ending in -ndo). In this case, the pronoun is simply added after a hyphen with no changes to the verb.

• Ele passou a tarde lendo o livro. -> Ele passou a tarde lendo-o.

  He spent the afternoon reading the book. -> He spent the afternoon reading it.

• Estou esperando minha amiga. -> Estou esperando-a.

  I am waiting for my friend. -> I am waiting for her.

In informal speech, it is more common to use the subject pronoun after the verb without a hyphen.

• Estou esperando ela.

  I am waiting for her.

04

Special Pronoun Forms: -lo and -no

The pronouns o, a, os, and as change their form depending on the last sound of the verb they are attached to.

The 'L' Form: -lo, -la, -los, -las

When a verb form ends in -r, -s, or -z, this final consonant is dropped, and the pronouns become lo, la, los, or las. This is the same rule seen with infinitives.

• Eu vou ver o filme. -> Eu vou vê-lo.

  I'm going to see the movie. -> I'm going to see it.

• Nós fizemos os relatórios. -> Nós fizemo-los.

  We made the reports. -> We made them.

Note: The construction in the second example (fizemo-los) is extremely formal and very rare in Brazil, even in writing. The more common formal structure would be Nós os fizemos.

The 'N' Form: -no, -na, -nos, -nas

When a verb form ends in a nasal sound (e.g., -m, -ão, -õe), the pronouns become no, na, nos, or nas.

• Eles compraram o carro. -> Eles compraram-no.

  They bought the car. -> They bought it.

• As crianças põem os brinquedos na caixa. -> As crianças põem-nos na caixa.

  The children put the toys in the box. -> The children put them in the box.

• Eles dão o prêmio ao vencedor. -> Eles dão-no ao vencedor.

  They give the prize to the winner. -> They give it to the winner.

This construction is also characteristic of formal, often literary, Portuguese. In speech, Brazilians would typically say Eles compraram ele or Eles o compraram.