te / che

Te vs. Che

Level 2

Galician has two words for unstressed "you": te (Vinte, I saw you) and che (Deiche a chave, I gave you the key).

How It Works

The rule. Te is the direct object (direct object pronouns); che is the indirect object (indirect object pronouns).

  • Vinte na praia. (I saw you at the beach.) You are the one seen.
  • Deiche a chave. (I gave you the key.) The key is what I gave; you received it.

A quick test. Replace the pronoun with a third-person one. If o or a fits, use te: Chameite → Chameina. If lle fits, use che: Lévoche os apuntamentos → Lévolle os apuntamentos.

Two opposite mix-ups. Spanish has only te, so learners often use te for everything (Deite instead of Deiche). Some local speech also merges the two. Parts of the Baixo Miño use te in both roles, and parts of western A Coruña use che for a direct object too (Vinche instead of Vinte), which is called chesmo. These are real local habits, but the standard keeps te and che apart.

Reflexive verbs always take te. When you do something to yourself, the pronoun is te: Lávaste, Como te chamas? This holds even where chesmo is heard. See reflexive verbs.

Querer can take either. Quérote moito (I love you very much) treats you as the direct object. The RAG dictionary also records querer with an indirect object, meaning "to be fond of": Quéroche moito. Both are correct.

A special che. Later you will meet a che that is not an object at all but draws the listener in, as in Isto éche así (that is just how it is). That is a different use; see the dative of solidarity.

Examples (6)

  1. Vinte na praia o sábado.

    I saw you at the beach on Saturday.

    Word by Word: Saw-you in-the beach the Saturday.

  2. Deiche a chave onte.

    I gave you the key yesterday.

    Word by Word: Gave-to-you the key yesterday.

  3. Quérote moito.

    I love you very much.

    Word by Word: Want-you much.

    Here querer means "to love" and takes te as its direct object. Quéroche moito, with che, is also correct and means "I am very fond of you".

  4. Dígoche unha cousa.

    Let me tell you something.

    Word by Word: Say-to-you a thing.

  5. Chámote mañá.

    I will call you tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Call-you tomorrow.

  6. Tróuxenche un agasallo de Vigo.

    I brought you a present from Vigo.

    Word by Word: Brought-to-you a present of Vigo.

Common Mistakes

  • Using te for "to you" (influence of Spanish).

    Deite a chave onte.
    Deiche a chave onte.

    You received the key, so "you" is the indirect object: che. Test it: Deille a chave works, Deino a chave does not.

  • Copying Spanish te lo instead of the fused form cho.

    Xa te o dixen.
    Xa cho dixen.

    You are the one who was told, so the pronoun is che, and che + o join into one word: cho. Te o copies Spanish te lo word for word.

  • Using che with a reflexive verb.

    Como che chamas?
    Como te chamas?

    Reflexive verbs such as chamarse always take te for ti, even in the areas where chesmo is heard.

How It Connects

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

te / cheLevel 2Te vs. Che

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Te and che distinguish direct, reflexive and indirect roles for familiar you.

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Words in This Pattern

che