desse/dessa/desses/dessas

Contraction Desse

Level 2

Desse = de (of/from) + esse (that). It changes to match gender and number: desse, dessa, desses, dessas.

How It Works

The contraction desse is a fundamental part of Portuguese. While usually mandatory, it follows specific rules for space, time, and grammar.

1. Formation and Agreement
The contraction must agree with the noun it refers to:

  • Desse: Masculine singular (de + esse)
  • Dessa: Feminine singular (de + essa)
  • Desses: Masculine plural (de + esses)
  • Dessas: Feminine plural (de + essas)

2. Usage Rules

  • Space: Refers to something near the listener (e.g., 'Gosto desse relógio no seu pulso').
  • Time: Refers to a past or future time relatively close to the present, but not the current moment (e.g., 'Tenho saudades desse ano').
  • Discourse (Anaphoric): Refers to something already mentioned in the conversation (e.g., 'Ele comprou um carro. O motor desse carro é potente'). In contrast, deste is used for things about to be mentioned (cataphoric).

3. The Infinitive Exception
In formal writing, do not use the contraction if the demonstrative is the subject of an infinitive verb. For example: 'A probabilidade de esse plano funcionar é baixa' (The probability of this plan working is low). Here, 'esse plano' is the subject of 'funcionar'.

4. Regional Nuance (Brazil)
In colloquial Brazilian Portuguese, the distinction between deste and desse has blurred. Most Brazilians use desse for both 'near me' and 'near you' in daily speech.

5. Verb Homonym
Be aware that desse is also a form of the verb dar (to give) in the imperfect subjunctive. Although dar is an -AR verb, it is irregular and uses the -esse suffix in this tense.

Examples (4)

  1. Gosto muito desse relógio que você está usando.

    I really like that watch you are wearing.

    Word by Word: I like much of-that watch that you are using.

    Here, 'desse' is used because the watch is physically near the listener.

  2. Eu não sabia dessa história.

    I didn't know about that story.

    Word by Word: I not knew of-that story.

    We use 'dessa' (feminine) to agree with 'história'. It refers to a story previously mentioned.

  3. O que você acha desses sapatos?

    What do you think of those shoes?

    Word by Word: The what you think of-those shoes?

    Plural masculine agreement with 'sapatos'. Usually implies the listener is holding or wearing them.

  4. Ele precisa de algumas dessas ferramentas.

    He needs some of those tools.

    Word by Word: He needs of some of-those tools.

    Plural feminine agreement with 'ferramentas'.

Common Mistakes

  • Failing to contract 'de' and 'esse' in general contexts.

    Eu gosto de esse livro.
    Eu gosto desse livro.

    In most cases, these contractions are mandatory. However, there is one exception: do not contract them if the demonstrative is the subject of an infinitive verb (e.g., 'O fato de esse livro ser caro...').

  • Incorrect gender agreement.

    Eu preciso desse caneta.
    Eu preciso dessa caneta.

    Since 'caneta' (pen) is feminine, you must use the feminine contraction 'dessa'.

How It Connects

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

desse/dessa/desses/dessasLevel 2Contraction Desse

Learn This First

To understand 'desse' and its variations, a learner needs to be familiar with the preposition 'de' (of/from) and the mid-distance demonstrative 'esse' (that). Since 'desse' is a mandatory contraction of these two elements, knowing the individual components and the general behavior of 'de' in contractions is necessary.

Words in This Pattern

dessedessadessesdessas