Pronoun Interpolation

Level 6

When a pronoun goes before the verb, traditional Galician can put another word in between, most often non: para o non facer (so as not to do it).

How It Works

What interpolation is

In Galician an unstressed pronoun can go before the verb in some contexts (see pronouns in subordinate clauses). In medieval and traditional Galician, another word could then come between the pronoun and the verb. This is called interpolation.

The usual word: non

  • Pídolle que o non faga. (I ask him not to do it.) Modern order: que non o faga.
  • Dixo que o non faría. (He said he would not do it.)
  • Fíxeno así para o non esquecer. (I did it this way so as not to forget it.)

Other words

Less often, a stressed pronoun or a short adverb comes in between: Cólleo se cho ela dá (take it if she gives it to you), Oxalá te así vaia sempre! (may it always go this well for you!).

The conditions

  • Something must already pull the pronoun before the verb: que, se, a preposition with an infinitive, and so on (see pronoun before an infinitive after a preposition).
  • The pronoun is never at the very start of the sentence, and it appears only once.

Register. It was common in medieval texts and in the speech of older people. Today it sounds careful, literary and very Galician, because Spanish no longer allows it. You do not need to use it, but you should recognise it in literature.

Examples (5)

  1. Fíxeno así para o non esquecer.

    I did it this way so as not to forget it.

    Word by Word: I-did-it so for it not forget.

    Non comes between the pronoun o and the infinitive esquecer.

  2. Pídolle que o non faga.

    I ask him not to do it.

    Que pulls o before the verb, and non sits in between.

  3. Dixo que o non faría.

    He said he would not do it.

    The modern order would be que non o faría.

  4. Cólleo se cho ela dá.

    Take it if she gives it to you.

    The stressed pronoun ela comes between cho and the verb dá.

  5. Oxalá te así vaia sempre!

    May it always go this well for you!

    The adverb así comes between te and vaia in a wish.

Common Mistakes

  • Starting the sentence with the pronoun.

    O non vin onte.
    Non o vin onte.

    Interpolation needs a word such as que or para before the pronoun. In a main clause, non comes first and then the pronoun.

  • Repeating the pronoun after the verb as well.

    Fíxeno así para o non esquecelo.
    Fíxeno así para o non esquecer.

    The pronoun appears only once. If it goes before non, the verb stays without an ending pronoun.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Pronoun InterpolationLevel 6

Learn This First

Interpolation inserts material between a preverbal clitic and its verb in marked styles.

Words in This Pattern