B2 (Upper Intermediate)Lesson 8: Advanced Verb and Clause Patterns
Clitic climbing allows an object pronoun to attach to a higher auxiliary/modal verb instead of an infinitive or gerund, as in "te quero ver" versus "quero ver-te" (I want to see you). Its availability depends on the construction, variety and context. Brazilian proclisis before a lower verb is a distinct placement.
Clitic climbing = a clitic can attach to a higher finite verb rather than the infinitive/gerund
Creates options: "te vou chamar" vs "vou chamar-te"
Works with: querer, poder, dever, ir, estar, ter que, começar a, etc.
Brazil: Higher attachment ("me pode ajudar") and lower-verb proclisis are distinct possibilities
Portugal: Both "pode-me" and "pode ajudar-me" illustrate attachments; context controls proclisis
With gerund: "te estou vendo" vs "estou vendo-te"
Multiple auxiliaries: placement depends on the construction; never attach a clitic after a past participle
Negation/questions: finite-verb proclisis does not make climbing obligatory
auxiliary/modal verb + pronoun + infinitive/gerund OR auxiliary/modal + infinitive/gerund + pronoun
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Clitic placement helps you understand different ways of expressing the same complement. "te amo" and "amo-te" illustrate proclisis and enclisis with a single verb, rather than clitic climbing. In a verbal complex, "me pode ajudar?" and "pode ajudar-me?" show different attachments; neither should be dismissed as foreign or obsolete. Recognizing variety and register also helps you interpret "vou encontrá-lo", 'vou encontrar ele' and 'o vou encontrar' without treating them as equally suitable in every context.
In simple sentences, a clitic belongs to one verb: "vejo-te" (I see you). In a verbal complex, it may attach to the higher, finite verb instead of the infinitive or gerund. That is clitic climbing. Brazilian "posso te ver" places the pronoun before the infinitive; "posso ver-te" attaches it after the infinitive. Neither form by itself shows attachment to the higher verb.
When you have auxiliary/modal + infinitive/gerund, placement depends on the construction, variety and context:
Climbed (Proclitic to auxiliary): Te posso ver
Climbed (Enclitic to auxiliary): Posso-te ver
Non-climbed (Enclitic to infinitive): Posso ver-te
Before the infinitive (Brazilian proclisis): Posso te ver
Brazilian Portuguese also allows option 4 in contemporary standard usage. Initial "Te posso ver" occurs in Brazilian speech; in standard European Portuguese, proclisis to the finite verb normally needs a licensing context. The positions are not freely interchangeable in every sentence.
"Te posso ligar mais tarde?" (Can I call you later?)
"Me vai esperar aqui?" (Will you wait for me here?)
"Não te quero incomodar" (I don't want to bother you)
"Ela me está devendo dinheiro" (She owes me money)
"Se pode sentar ali" (You can sit there)
"Vou te ligar amanhã" (I'll call you tomorrow)
"Está me esperando lá fora" (He's waiting for me outside)
"Pode se sentar" (You can sit down)
"Quero lhe pedir um favor" (I want to ask you a favor)
The infinitive-attached forms are useful models. Decidir generally disfavors climbing in European Portuguese; the higher-verb comparisons require attention to variety and construction:
Comparison: "O decidi comprar" (generally disfavored in European Portuguese)
✅ "Decidi comprá-lo" (I decided to buy it)
Comparison: "A resolvi chamar" (not a universally interchangeable option)
✅ "Resolvi chamá-la" (I resolved to call her)
Speaker variation exists, so do not infer a universal prohibition from "Eu a decidi chamar" or a universal license to climb with any lexical verb.
With estar + gerund, attachment and register still matter:
Me está chamando (climbed)
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