Clitic Placement Register

Level 6

Portuguese uses three positions for object pronouns: Próclise (before), Ênclise (after), and Mesóclise (inside). While grammar rules exist, the 'correct' choice depends heavily on whether you are in Brazil or Portugal, and how formal you want to be.

How It Works

Clitic placement (pronomes oblíquos átonos) is one of the most distinct markers of regional dialect and social register in the Lusophone world.

1. The Three Positions:

  • Próclise: The pronoun comes before the verb (e.g., Não me diga).
  • Ênclise: The pronoun is attached to the end with a hyphen (e.g., Diga-me).
  • Mesóclise: The pronoun is inserted into the middle of the verb (e.g., Dir-me-á).

2. Regional Differences and Attractors:
In Brazil, próclise is the natural rhythm of speech. Brazilians regularly start sentences with pronouns (Me dá um café), even though traditional grammars forbid it. Ênclise is seen as highly formal or literary.

In Portugal, ênclise is the default for positive, independent clauses. However, próclise is mandatory when 'attracted' by specific words: negatives (Não me viu), interrogative words (Quem te chamou?), subordinating conjunctions, or indefinite pronouns and adverbs (Alguém me viu).

3. The Mesóclise Register:
This form is unique to the Future and Conditional tenses. Traditional grammar forbids using ênclise (pronoun at the end) with these tenses. In Brazil, mesóclise is virtually extinct. In Portugal, it is the standard for formal writing, but it follows a strict Attractor Hierarchy: if an attractor (like a negative) is present, proclisis cancels mesoclisis. For example, one says Dar-te-ei o livro, but Não te darei o livro.

4. Phonological Changes:
When using ênclise or mesóclise, pronouns like o/a change to -lo/-la after verbs ending in -r, -s, or -z, or to -no/-na after nasal sounds.

Examples (5)

  1. Me empresta uma caneta?

    Can you lend me a pen? (Standard Spoken Brazilian Portuguese)

    Word by Word: Me lend a pen?

    In Brazil, starting a sentence with a pronoun (próclise) is the natural way to speak, though formal grammar books technically discourage it.

  2. Empresta-me uma caneta?

    Can you lend me a pen? (Standard European Portuguese / Formal Brazilian)

    Word by Word: Lend-me a pen?

    In Portugal, starting a sentence with a pronoun is avoided; enclisis is the standard neutral position.

  3. Não me diga a verdade.

    Don't tell me the truth. (Universal)

    Word by Word: Not me tell the truth.

    Both dialects use proclisis here because the negative word 'não' acts as a 'magnet' that pulls the pronoun to the front.

  4. Dar-lhe-ei os documentos amanhã.

    I will give you the documents tomorrow. (Formal/Literary)

    Word by Word: Give-to you-will the documents tomorrow.

    This is mesoclisis. It is used with the future tense in formal writing when no negative or 'attracting' word is present.

  5. Eu o vi na festa. / Eu vi ele na festa.

    I saw him at the party. (Formal vs. Colloquial Brazilian)

    Word by Word: I him saw... / I saw he...

    In casual Brazilian speech, people often replace the object pronoun 'o' with the subject pronoun 'ele', which is considered incorrect in formal registers.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a hyphen with proclisis (pronoun before the verb).

    Não-me diga isso.
    Não me diga isso.

    Hyphens are only used for enclisis (after the verb) and mesoclisis (inside the verb). Never use a hyphen when the pronoun comes before the verb.

  • Attaching a pronoun to a past participle.

    Tenho visto-o muito.
    Tenho-o visto muito. / O tenho visto muito.

    In Portuguese, you can never attach a clitic pronoun to a past participle. It must attach to the auxiliary verb (ter/haver) or come before it.

  • Using enclisis with the future tense.

    Darei-te o livro.
    Dar-te-ei o livro.

    In formal grammar, you cannot use enclisis with the future or conditional tenses. You must use mesoclisis (dar-te-ei) or proclisis if a trigger is present (Não te darei).

How It Connects

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

Clitic Placement RegisterLevel 6

Learn This First

To understand how clitic placement functions as a register marker, a learner must first be familiar with the three possible positions (proclisis, enclisis, and mesoclisis) and how their usage patterns differ between standard grammar, colloquial speech, and regional variants (Brazilian vs. European Portuguese).