me/te/o/a/nos/vos/os/as
Direct Object Pronouns
Direct object pronouns (me, te, o, a, nos, vos, os, as) replace nouns that receive an action directly. They change form based on the verb's ending (e.g., -lo, -no).
How It Works
Direct object pronouns are essential for natural-sounding Portuguese. They function as the 'victim' of the verb's action.
1. The Pronouns:
- me / nos: me / us
- te / vos: you (informal) / you all (informal, mainly PT-PT)
- o / a: him, it, you (formal) / her, it, you (formal)
- os / as: them (m.), you all / them (f.), you all
2. Morphological Changes:
The third-person pronouns (o, a, os, as) change their shape depending on how the verb ends:
- Verbs ending in -r, -s, or -z: Drop the consonant and add -lo, -la, -los, -las. To keep the stress on the final vowel, -ar verbs gain an acute accent (amá-lo), -er verbs gain a circumflex (fazê-lo), and the verb 'pôr' becomes 'pô-lo'. -ir verbs generally do not take an accent (abri-lo) unless a hiatus is formed (substituí-lo).
- Verbs ending in nasal sounds (-m, -ão, -õe): Add -no, -na, -nos, -nas. Example: Comeram + o = comeram-no.
3. Placement (Proclisis vs. Enclisis):
Placement depends heavily on the region. In European Portuguese, enclisis (pronoun after the verb) is the default. In Brazilian Portuguese, proclisis (pronoun before the verb) is the standard default in almost all contexts. However, in formal grammar across all regions, certain 'attractor words' pull the pronoun before the verb, such as negation (Não o vi), question words (Quem o viu?), and relative pronouns (O homem que o viu).
4. Regional Differences:
These pronouns are the standard grammatical form in European Portuguese and formal Brazilian Portuguese. In casual Brazilian speech, people often use subject pronouns as objects (e.g., 'Vi ele') or use null objects (e.g., 'Eu vi').
Examples (5)
- Onde está o meu livro? Eu li-o ontem.
Where is my book? I read it yesterday.
Word by Word: Where is the my book? I read-it yesterday.
In European Portuguese, the pronoun 'o' (it) is attached after the verb with a hyphen.
- Eu não o vi na festa.
I didn't see him at the party.
Word by Word: I not him saw at the party.
In Brazilian Portuguese or when using negation, the pronoun 'o' (him) often comes before the verb.
- Preciso de comprar pão. Vou comprá-lo agora.
I need to buy bread. I'm going to buy it now.
Word by Word: Need of to buy bread. Go to buy-it now.
When the verb ends in -r (comprar), the -r is dropped and 'o' becomes '-lo'.
- Eles fizeram o bolo e comeram-no todo.
They made the cake and ate it all.
Word by Word: They made the cake and ate-it all.
Because 'comeram' ends in a nasal sound (-m), the pronoun 'o' becomes '-no'.
- Ela nos chamou para a reunião.
She called us for the meeting.
Word by Word: She us called for the meeting.
The pronoun 'nos' (us) remains the same regardless of the verb ending.
Common Mistakes
Using subject pronouns (eu, ele, nós) as direct objects in formal writing.
Eu vi ele ontem.Eu o vi ontem. / Vi-o ontem.While common in casual Brazilian speech, using ele as an object is grammatically incorrect in formal registers. Use 'o' instead.
Forgetting the accent when using the -lo/-la forms with -ar and -er verbs.
Vou fazer-lo.Vou fazê-lo.When you drop the -r from an -er verb, you must add a circumflex accent to maintain the stress on the final vowel. Note that -ir verbs like 'partir' usually don't need an accent (parti-lo).
Confusing direct objects (o/a) with indirect objects (lhe).
Eu lhe vi na rua.Eu o vi na rua.lhe is for indirect objects (to him/her). Since 'ver' (to see) is a direct action, you must use 'o' or 'a'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn direct object pronouns, you first need to understand how subjects are identified (subject pronouns) and how verbs are conjugated to match those subjects. Additionally, since third-person direct object pronouns (o, a, os, as) are identical in form to definite articles, familiarity with articles and gender/number agreement is crucial.
- o/a/os/asDefinite Articles
Direct object pronouns share the same forms as definite articles for third-person objects and follow the same gender and number agreement rules.
Foundations - -o/-as/-a/-amos/-ais/-amPresent Tense -AR Verbs
Direct object pronouns are used in conjunction with conjugated verbs to indicate who or what is receiving the action.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- me/te/lhe/nos/vos/lhesIndirect Object Pronouns
These are indirect object pronouns, used when the action is done 'to' or 'for' someone.
Level 1 - me/te/se/nos/vos/seReflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are the same person.
Level 1 - Proclisis (Pronoun Before Verb)
Explains the rules for placing the pronoun before the verb, common in Brazil and with negation.
Level 2 - Enclisis (Pronoun After Verb)
Explains the rules for attaching the pronoun after the verb, which is the standard in Portugal.
Level 2 - eu/tu/você/ele/elaSubject Pronouns (Singular)
Subject pronouns, which direct object pronouns replace when they are the receivers of the action.
Foundations - -lo/-laObject Pronoun After -R/-S/-Z Verbs
A specific look at the spelling and accent changes required for these pronoun forms.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice me/te/o/a/nos/vos/os/as in Bubblegum
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