nisto/nisso/naquilo

Contraction with Neuter Demonstratives (Em)

Level 2

Nisto, nisso, and naquilo are mandatory contractions used to say 'in this thing' or 'on that thing' without naming a specific noun.

How It Works

In Portuguese, prepositions often fuse with the words that follow them. For the preposition em (meaning in, on, or at), the contraction with neuter pronouns is obligatory.

1. The Three Forms:

  • Nisto (em + isto): Refers to something near the speaker or a situation happening right now.
  • Nisso (em + isso): Refers to something near the listener or an idea that was just mentioned.
  • Naquilo (em + aquilo): Refers to something far from both people or a situation in the distant past.

2. Usage Nuances:
In casual Brazilian Portuguese, nisso is the most frequent form and often replaces nisto. However, nisto has a special idiomatic use in storytelling to mean 'at that moment' or 'suddenly' (e.g., 'Estávamos conversando; nisto, o telefone tocou').

3. Neuter vs. Gendered:
It is vital to distinguish these from gendered contractions like neste or nesse. While neste livro (in this book) points to a specific masculine noun, nisto points to a general 'this' (e.g., 'I don't believe in this').

Examples (4)

  1. Eu não tinha pensado nisso ainda.

    I hadn't thought about that yet.

    Word by Word: I not had thought in-that yet.

    Here, 'nisso' refers to a previously mentioned idea or situation. The verb 'pensar' requires the preposition 'em'.

  2. Você ainda acredita naquilo que ele disse?

    Do you still believe in that (thing) that he said?

    Word by Word: You still believe in-that which he said?

    'Naquilo' refers to a distant or abstract statement made in the past.

  3. Estávamos a sair; nisto, começou a chover.

    We were leaving; at that moment, it started to rain.

    Word by Word: We were to leave; in-this, started to rain.

    This demonstrates the idiomatic use of 'nisto' as a temporal marker for a sudden interruption.

  4. Não vejo nenhum problema nisto.

    I don't see any problem in this.

    Word by Word: Not I-see no problem in-this.

    'Nisto' refers to the current situation or the object the speaker is holding.

Common Mistakes

  • Using neuter forms to modify a specific noun.

    Eu li nisto livro.
    Eu li neste livro.

    'Nisto' is a pronoun and stands alone. If you have a masculine noun like 'livro', you must use the masculine contraction 'neste'.

  • Failing to contract the preposition and the pronoun.

    Eu não acredito em isso.
    Eu não acredito nisso.

    In Portuguese, these contractions are mandatory. Leaving them separate sounds unnatural and is grammatically incorrect.

  • Confusing 'nisso' (em) with 'disso' (de).

    Eu gosto nisso.
    Eu gosto disso.

    The contraction depends on the verb. 'Gostar' requires 'de' (disso), while 'pensar' or 'acreditar' usually require 'em' (nisso).

How It Connects

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

nisto/nisso/naquiloLevel 2Contraction with Neuter Demonstratives (Em)

Learn This First

To understand nisto, nisso, and naquilo, you must first be familiar with the neuter demonstrative pronouns (isto, isso, aquilo) and how the preposition 'em' functions. It is also helpful to have seen how 'em' contracts with regular demonstrative adjectives, as the process follows the same pattern.

Words in This Pattern

nistonissonaquilo