me/te/lhe/nos/vos/lhes

Indirect object pronouns tell us 'to whom' or 'for whom' an action is done. They are essential for everyday communication.

1. The Pronouns:

• me: to/for me
• te: to/for you (informal)
• lhe: to/for him, her, or you (formal)
• nos: to/for us
• vos: to/for you all (formal/regional in Portugal)
• lhes: to/for them or you all (formal, and commonly used for 'vocês')

Note that me, te, nos, and vos are used as both direct and indirect object pronouns, whereas lhe and lhes are strictly indirect in prescriptive grammar and European Portuguese. Also, while lhe can mean 'to him', 'to her', or 'to you', in informal spoken Brazilian Portuguese, it is highly common to replace it with phrases like para ele, para ela, or para você, though lhe remains standard in formal contexts and certain regions.

2. Where to Put Them:

• In Portugal: The pronoun usually attaches to the end of the verb with a hyphen (enclisis). Example: Ele diz-me (He tells me).
• In Brazil: In spoken and informal Portuguese, the pronoun usually goes before the verb (proclisis). Example: Ele me diz. However, formal and written Brazilian Portuguese still follows prescriptive rules, such as never starting a sentence with an object pronoun.
• Commands: With affirmative commands, European Portuguese attaches the pronoun to the end (e.g., Diz-me - Tell me). In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, it is very common to place it before the verb (e.g., Me diz).
• With Attracting Words: Words like não, relative pronouns (like que), and certain adverbs (like já) pull the pronoun before the verb in both regions (proclisis triggers). Example: Ele não me diz.
• Future and Conditional (Portugal): In European Portuguese, if the verb is in the future or conditional tense and there is no proclisis trigger, the pronoun goes in the middle of the verb (mesoclisis). Example: Dar-lhe-ei (I will give him).
• With Two Verbs: When using an auxiliary verb with an infinitive or gerund (compound verbs), the pronoun can often go before the auxiliary, between the verbs, or attached to the end (e.g., Vou te dizer or Vou dizer-te). However, a strict rule is that a pronoun never attaches to a past participle. For example, you must say Tinha-lhe dito (I had told him), never Tinha dito-lhe.

3. Common Verbs:
You will use these pronouns most often with verbs of giving and communicating, such as dar (to give), dizer (to tell), perguntar (to ask), and pedir (to request).

4. Spoken Brazilian Portuguese:
In everyday Brazilian speech, people often prefer prepositional phrases over indirect object pronouns for all persons. This includes using para mim (instead of me), para a gente (instead of nos), and para você or para ele (instead of lhe), which are heavily contracted to pra mim, pra gente, pra você, and pra ele (pra/pro). It is also very common to hear te used as the object pronoun when addressing someone as você (e.g., Eu te disse - I told you). Additionally, in some regions (especially the Northeast), lhe is frequently used colloquially as a polite direct object for 'you' (e.g., Eu lhe vi - I saw you), even though standard grammar considers it strictly an indirect object.

5. Combined Pronouns (European Portuguese):
In European Portuguese, indirect object pronouns frequently merge with direct object pronouns to form single-word contractions (combined object pronouns). For example, lhe + o becomes lho (to him/her it).

6. Emphasis and Clarification:
To add emphasis or contrast, you can use prepositional forms like a mim, a ti, a ele, or a nós (prepositional reinforcement). For example: Ele deu o livro a mim, não a ti (He gave the book to me, not to you). In European Portuguese, it is also common to use these phrases alongside the indirect object pronoun to clarify exactly who lhe refers to, a process known as clitic doubling (e.g., Dei-lhe a ele - I gave it to him).