A2 (Elementary)Lesson 5: Object Pronouns & Basic Placement
Direct object pronouns replace the person or thing a verb acts on. Brazilian conversation commonly places unstressed pronouns before the verb, while traditional written usage and European Portuguese depend more on the syntactic context. Forms such as me, te and nos can also serve other roles.
Direct object pronouns replace the "who/what" a verb acts on: me, te, o/a, nos, os/as.
A common conversational pattern is before the verb: Eu te vejo, Ela me chamou; placement also depends on context and register.
Traditional você uses o/a: Eu o vi = I saw you; conversation also uses Eu vi você and often te.
Many speakers use te with você: Te amo!, Te ligo!; this is singular address, not a pronoun for everyone.
Very Brazilian: use the subject pronoun as object (Amo ela, Vi ele) or just drop it (Já comprei = I already bought it).
Initial pronouns (Me liga!, Te amo!) are common in informal Brazil; traditional formal writing follows its placement rules.
Common Brazilian conversational order: subject + pronoun + verb — Eu te vejo, Ela me chamou; attachment after the verb also occurs, especially in traditional written contexts
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Pronouns help you avoid repeating names. After Vi a Maria ontem. Encontrei a Maria no shopping, you can replace the second mention with Eu a encontrei no shopping. Brazilian conversation often uses me ajuda, while ajuda-me remains possible, especially in traditional written contexts. Understanding both helps you choose the right register. Me liga! is a useful conversational expression, and Te amo and Amo você can convey the same basic meaning, with different emphasis or usage.
Direct object pronouns replace the person or thing receiving the action. The table shows personal references; o/a/os/as can also replace things:
| Replaces | Pronoun | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | me | Ele me viu | He saw me |
| tu | te | Eu te amo | I love you |
| ele | o | Eu o conheço | I know him |
| ela | a | Nós a encontramos | We found her |
| você | o / a | Eu o/a vi | I saw you |
| nós | nos | Ela nos chamou | She called us |
These examples include direct, indirect and reciprocal uses. Some o/a examples are more typical of writing; the colloquial alternatives are marked below.
"Me liga hoje à noite." (Call me tonight.)
"Te espero na porta." (I'll wait for you at the door.)
"Não o vi hoje." (I didn't see him today.)
"A encontrei no shopping." (I ran into her at the mall.)
"Ele nos convidou para jantar." (He invited us for dinner.)
"Te amo!" (Love you!)
"Me chama mais tarde." (Message me later.)
Você takes 3rd-person verb forms. Traditional direct object o/a matches the referent; Brazilian conversation also uses Eu vi você and often te. The choice depends on context.
Traditional formal norms avoid beginning an independent sentence with an unstressed object pronoun; informal Brazilian speech commonly does so:
Traditional: ✗ Me chama João → Reality: ✓ Me chama João
Traditional: ✗ Te amo → Reality: ✓ Te amo
The -lo/-la forms occur in formal writing and other contexts. Brazilian conversation can also use an omitted object or a subject-form pronoun when the reference is clear:
Vou comprá-lo can become Vou comprar or colloquial Vou comprar ele when the context supports it.
Michel Teló’s Ai Se Eu Te Pego became an international hit in 2011. Its te pego places the object pronoun before the verb, but after conditional se this order also belongs to European Portuguese. Campo Grande News reported leading sales in several countries and described Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal-celebration dance as helping the song spread.
Sources: Campo Grande News · Ciberdúvidas — Próclise, em Portugal e no Brasil
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