lhe/lhes + para + Pronoun

Redundant Indirect Object Marking

Level 4

Redundant Indirect Object Marking occurs when you use two ways to identify the same recipient in one sentence: the clitic pronoun lhe and a phrase like para ele or para você.

How It Works

This pattern, known as objeto indireto pleonástico, is used to resolve ambiguity or provide stylistic emphasis.

1. Clarification (Primarily Brazil):
In Brazilian Portuguese, lhe is frequently used for 'you', creating ambiguity with 'him' or 'her'. Adding a prepositional phrase clarifies the recipient. For example, Eu lhe dei o livro para ela makes it clear the book went to 'her' and not 'you'. In Portugal, this ambiguity is less common due to different pronoun systems.

2. Preposition Choice:

  • Formal/Standard: The preposition a (e.g., a ele, a você) is the standard requirement in formal writing (Norma Culta) and is the primary form used in Portugal.
  • Informal (Brazil): The preposition para (e.g., para ele) is extremely common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese to indicate the destination of the action.

3. Regional Usage:

  • Brazil: Both a and para are used, with para being the dominant choice in speech. Brazilians typically use proclisis (e.g., Eu lhe dei).
  • Portugal: European Portuguese is conservative; it almost exclusively uses a. Using para in this specific redundant construction is often viewed as a non-standard Brazilianism. Portuguese speakers typically use enclisis (e.g., Dei-lhe).

4. Verb Requirements:
This works with bitransitive verbs taking an indirect object, such as dar (to give), dizer (to say), or entregar (to deliver). Note that verbs requiring the preposition de, such as gostar de, cannot use lhe.

Examples (4)

  1. Eu lhe entreguei as chaves para ela.

    I handed the keys to her.

    Word by Word: I to-her handed the keys for her.

    Here, 'para ela' clarifies that 'lhe' refers to a woman, not a man or the person being spoken to.

  2. Para eles, nada lhes foi dito.

    To them, nothing was said to them.

    Word by Word: For them, nothing to-them was said.

    The recipient is placed at the start for emphasis, then repeated with 'lhes' for grammatical cohesion.

  3. O segredo, não lhe contei para você por medo.

    The secret, I didn't tell it to you out of fear.

    Word by Word: The secret, not to-you I-told for you by fear.

    In this case, 'para você' is used to emphasize that the speaker specifically withheld information from the listener.

  4. Nós lhes enviamos o convite para vocês ontem.

    We sent the invitation to you (plural) yesterday.

    Word by Word: We to-you-all sent the invitation for you-all yesterday.

    Using 'para vocês' ensures 'lhes' isn't interpreted as 'to them'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'para' directly before the clitic pronoun 'lhe'.

    Eu para lhe dei o presente.
    Eu lhe dei o presente para ele.

    Clitic pronouns like 'lhe' never take a preposition directly. The preposition 'para' must be used with a standard pronoun (ele, ela, você) later in the sentence.

  • Using this redundant pattern with direct object verbs.

    Eu lhe ajudei para ele.
    Eu o ajudei.

    Verbs like 'ajudar' (to help) take a direct object in standard Portuguese. Redundancy with 'lhe' is only for indirect objects (recipients).

How It Connects

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

lhe/lhes + para + PronounLevel 4Redundant Indirect Object Marking

Learn This First

To learn this pattern, you need to understand how indirect object pronouns (lhe/lhes) work and how prepositional pronouns are used after 'para' to clarify who is receiving an action, especially since 'lhe' can be ambiguous (referring to him, her, or you).

Words in This Pattern

lhes