Mesoclisis
Mesoclisis (mesóclise) is the 'middle-placement' of a pronoun. It occurs when an object pronoun is placed between the verb stem and its ending (e.g., falar-lhe-ei). It is used exclusively with the Future and Conditional tenses in formal or literary contexts.
How It Works
Mesoclisis is a formal feature of Portuguese grammar where a pronoun is inserted into the middle of a verb.
1. When to use it:
It is used only with the Futuro do Presente and the Futuro do Pretérito. It is required in formal writing at the start of a sentence or after a pause, provided there are no 'attractor' words. Proclisis (pronoun before the verb) is triggered by negation (não), relative pronouns (que), indefinite pronouns (alguém, tudo), interrogatives (onde, como), adverbs (sempre, já, também), and subordinating conjunctions (embora, caso, se).
2. How to form it:
Split the Future or Conditional form before the ending (-ei, -ás, -á, etc.) and insert the pronoun. For irregular verbs fazer, dizer, and trazer, use the shortened stems: far-, dir-, and trar-. For pronouns other than the direct objects o/a/os/as, the verb stem remains intact (e.g., Comprar-nos-ão).
- Dar + me + ão = Dar-me-ão (They will give me).
- Diria becomes Dir-lhe-ia (I would tell him/her).
- Faria becomes Far-se-ia (It would be done).
3. Special Orthographic Rules:
When using direct object pronouns (o, a, os, as), the final '-r' of the stem is dropped, and the pronoun changes to lo, la, los, las. For -ar and -er stems, you must add an accent (e.g., á or ê) to preserve the tonic stress. However, stems ending in -i (like parti-lo-ei or the irregular di-lo-ei) do not receive an accent:
- Comprar + o + ei = Comprá-lo-ei.
- Fazer + o + ia = Fá-lo-ia.
- Partir + o + ei = Parti-lo-ei.
4. Register and Usage:
In Brazil, mesoclisis is reserved for extremely formal documents. In Portugal, it remains standard in formal speech and writing. In casual conversation, most speakers avoid it by using periphrastic futures (e.g., 'Vou te dizer' instead of 'Dir-te-ei').
Examples (4)
- Dir-me-ão a verdade quando o momento chegar.
They will tell me the truth when the moment arrives.
Word by Word: Tell-me-will [they] the truth when the moment arrive.
The verb 'dirão' (future of dizer) is split to include 'me'. This is used because the sentence starts with the verb.
- Convidar-nos-iam para a festa se estivéssemos lá.
They would invite us to the party if we were there.
Word by Word: Invite-us-would [they] to the party if [we] were there.
The conditional 'convidariam' is split to include 'nos'. This is the formal way to start a sentence with this tense.
- Fá-lo-ei com muito gosto.
I will do it with great pleasure.
Word by Word: Do-it-will [I] with much pleasure.
Note the change from 'fazer' to 'fá-lo' because the pronoun 'o' is used. The '-r' is dropped and an accent is added.
- Entregar-te-emos os documentos amanhã.
We will deliver the documents to you tomorrow.
Word by Word: Deliver-to you-will [we] the documents tomorrow.
A formal construction using the future tense of 'entregar' with the pronoun 'te'.
Common Mistakes
Using enclisis (pronoun at the end) with future/conditional verbs.
Ajudarei-te amanhã.Ajudar-te-ei amanhã.In standard grammar, you cannot place a pronoun after a future or conditional verb. You must use mesoclisis (Ajudar-te-ei) or proclisis if there is an attractor (Eu te ajudarei).
Using mesoclisis when a 'proclisis attractor' is present.
Não ver-te-ei hoje.Não te verei hoje.Negative words like 'não' are strong attractors. They force the pronoun to come before the verb (proclisis), making mesoclisis incorrect in this context.
Forgetting the accent when using -lo/-la.
Ve-lo-ei na próxima semana.Vê-lo-ei na próxima semana.When the '-r' is dropped from the infinitive to accommodate 'lo/la', an accent is often required to preserve the original vowel sound and stress.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- Proclisis (Pronoun Before Verb)
Proclisis is the most common pronoun placement and is mandatory when 'attractor' words are present, overriding mesoclisis.
Level 2 - Enclisis (Pronoun After Verb)
Enclisis is the standard placement for most tenses at the start of a sentence, but it is forbidden with future and conditional tenses.
Level 2 - não + Pronoun + VerbProclisis with Negation
Negation is a primary trigger for proclisis, which prevents the use of mesoclisis even in the future tense.
Level 2 - farei/direi/trareiFuturo Irregular (Fazer/Dizer/Trazer)
These irregular future verbs are frequently used with mesoclisis in formal writing (e.g., far-se-á, dir-lhe-ei).
Level 3 - Brazilian vs European Clitic Placement
Understanding the regional differences explains why mesoclisis is common in Portuguese literature but rare in Brazilian speech.
Level 3
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Patterns that build on this one.
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