no, na After Diphthongs
Pronoun Forms No and Na After Diphthongs
Joined to a verb that ends in a diphthong (-ou, -eu, -iu, -ei, -ai and so on), o, a, os, as take an n: Comprouno (he bought it), Colleuna (she took it), Deino (I gave it).
How It Works
When it applies. The verb must end in a diphthong: two vowels in one syllable, the second being i or u. The most common cases:
- preterite el/ela forms: comprou → comprouno, colleu → colleuna, partiu → partiuno
- preterite eu forms: comprei → compreino, dei → deino
- other forms such as sei → seino (I know it), fai → faino (do it), vou → vouno facer (I am going to do it), hai → hainas
All four forms. no, na, nos, nas: Os zapatos? Compreinos onte. (The shoes? I bought them yesterday.) As chaves? Deixeinas na mesa. (The keys? I left them on the table.)
Only after the verb. When a negative, a question word or another trigger puts the pronoun in front, it is plain o: Comprouno, but Non o comprou and Xa o comprou. See pronouns after negatives.
Compare the three forms. The shape depends only on how the verb ends:
- diphthong → no: comeu → comeuno
- -r or -s → lo, and the r or s drops: comer → comelo, comes → cómelo; see lo and la after -r and -s
- anything else → o: como → cómoo, comeron → comérono
Two lookalikes. In comérono the n belongs to the verb (comeron + o), so there is only one. And nos after a diphthong can also be the pronoun "us": Viunos means "he saw them" or "he saw us". Context decides.
Examples (6)
- Comprouno no mercado.
He bought it at the market.
Word by Word: Bought-it at-the market.
- Colleu a chave e meteuna no peto.
She picked up the key and put it in her pocket.
Word by Word: Took the key and put-it in-the pocket.
- Os zapatos? Compreinos onte.
The shoes? I bought them yesterday.
Word by Word: The shoes? Bought-I-them yesterday.
- A canción? Seina de memoria.
The song? I know it by heart.
Word by Word: The song? Know-I-it by memory.
- Vouno facer agora mesmo.
I'm going to do it right now.
Word by Word: Go-I-it to-do now same.
The pronoun joins vou, which ends in a diphthong.
- Deino á biblioteca.
I gave it to the library.
Word by Word: Gave-I-it to-the library.
Common Mistakes
Using lo after a diphthong.
Comproulo onte.Comprouno onte.Lo is only used after -r or -s. After the diphthong -ou, the form is no.
Adding an extra n after a verb that ends in -n.
Compráronno onte.Comprárono onte.Compraron does not end in a diphthong. The pronoun is plain o, and the n you see belongs to the verb.
Using no in front of the verb.
Non no comprou.Non o comprou.No exists only when the pronoun is joined to the end of the verb. In front of the verb, it is always o.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Enclitic o/a becomes no/na after a diphthong.
Related Patterns
- me / te / o / a / nos / vos / os / asDirect Object Pronouns
The basic direct object pronouns that take these forms.
Level 2 - Pronouns After the Verb
No and na only appear when the pronoun is joined after the verb.
Level 2 - Preterite of -ar Verbs
Preterite forms such as comprou and comprei are where no and na appear most often.
Level 2 - Impersonal haber Stays Singular
Hai + as becomes hainas, as in the saying habelas, hainas.
Level 3 - Pronouns Before the Verb After Negatives
After non, the pronoun moves in front and goes back to plain o.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice no, na After Diphthongs in Bubblegum
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