B2 (Upper Intermediate)Lesson 6: Complex Pronominalization
Clitic climbing is the ability of object pronouns to "climb up" from an infinitive or gerund to attach to the auxiliary/modal verb in complex verbal structures, creating options like "te quero ver" vs "quero ver-te" (I want to see you), with Brazilian Portuguese strongly preferring the climbed position while European Portuguese maintains more flexibility.
Clitic climbing = pronouns can move up to the main verb from infinitive/gerund
Creates options: "te vou chamar" vs "vou chamar-te"
Works with: querer, poder, dever, ir, estar, ter que, começar a, etc.
Brazil: Almost always climbs ("me pode ajudar")
Portugal: More flexible (both "pode-me" and "pode ajudar-me")
With gerund: "te estou vendo" vs "estou vendo-te"
Multiple auxiliaries: pronoun climbs to first verb
Negative/questions: pronoun must climb in Brazil
auxiliary/modal verb + pronoun + infinitive/gerund OR auxiliary/modal + infinitive/gerund + pronoun
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Ever wondered why Brazilians say "te amo" but "amo-te" sounds like a Shakespeare translation? Welcome to clitic climbing – the secret sauce that makes your Portuguese sound naturally Brazilian rather than stubbornly foreign! This isn't just grammar trivia; it's the difference between "me pode ajudar?" (natural Brazilian) and "pode ajudar-me?" (sounds like you're reading from a 1950s textbook). Master clitic climbing and you'll finally understand why your carefully constructed "vou encontrá-lo" makes Brazilians smile – they're thinking "why not just say 'vou encontrar ele' or 'o vou encontrar'?"
Imagine pronouns as little monkeys that can climb up the verbal tree. In simple sentences, they stay with their verb: "vejo-te" (I see you). But add a helping verb, and suddenly these pronouns can scramble up to the higher branch: "posso te ver" instead of "posso ver-te." That's clitic climbing!
When you have auxiliary/modal + infinitive/gerund, the pronoun has three possible positions:
Climbed (Proclitic to auxiliary): Te posso ver
Middle (Enclitic to auxiliary): Posso-te ver
Stay put (Enclitic to infinitive): Posso ver-te
In Brazilian Portuguese, option 1 dominates. In European Portuguese, all three live happily.
"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)
These verbs strongly resist climbing:
❌ "O decidi comprar"
✅ "Decidi comprá-lo" (I decided to buy it)
❌ "A resolvi chamar"
✅ "Resolvi chamá-la" (I resolved to call her)
Exception: Some Brazilians do say "Eu a decidi chamar" but it sounds forced.
With estar + gerund, anything goes in Brazil:
Me está chamando (climbed)
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