Direct object pronouns and where to put them
Once you've named something, you don't want to keep saying it. English uses 'I see her', 'I read it'. Portuguese has the same idea — but where the pronoun goes depends on which side of the Atlantic you're on. In Portugal, the default is enclitic: the pronoun hooks onto the back of the verb with a hyphen. vejo-te = I see you. In Brazil, the default is proclitic: the pronoun sits in front. te vejo = I see you. Both are correct in their register; learners need to recognize and produce both.
The pronouns
me = me. te = you (informal, tu). o = him / it (m.) / you (formal m., você). a = her / it (f.) / you (formal f.). nos = us. vos = you all (informal, mostly written PT). os = them (m.) / you all (formal m.). as = them (f.) / you all (formal f.). me, te, nos look the same as the indirect set you'll meet next lesson. o, a, os, as are spelled identically to the definite articles — context (and the verb context) tells them apart.
European Portuguese — the enclitic default
In a plain affirmative sentence, the pronoun comes after the verb, joined by a hyphen. Vejo-te = I see you. Conheço-o = I know him. A Ana ama-me = Ana loves me. Compramos-os = we buy them. The hyphen is mandatory in writing — without it, vejote wouldn't be Portuguese. In speech the boundary is barely audible, but the spelling rule is firm.
Triggers that flip the pronoun forward (PT)
European Portuguese moves the pronoun to BEFORE the verb in a few well-defined situations. Negation: Não te vejo = I don't see you. Question words: Onde a encontras? = Where do you find her? Subordinating words que and se: Sei que te conhece = I know that he knows you; se te vejo = if I see you. Certain adverbs (já, sempre, também, ainda): Já te vi = I've already seen you. The trigger pulls the pronoun forward; remove the trigger and it springs back behind the verb.
Brazilian Portuguese — proclitic by default
Brazil flips the European default. In everyday Brazilian speech and most written Brazilian Portuguese, the pronoun sits before the verb in plain affirmatives too: Te vejo = I see you. Me chama amanhã = call me tomorrow. The Brazilian system is not just colloquial — it's the standard register. Brazilian writers and speakers do still use enclisis (vejo-te) in formal texts, but if you're listening to a Brazilian speaker or reading a Brazilian newspaper, expect the pronoun in front.
PT 'o', 'a' and verb-ending shifts
There's a wrinkle with o, a, os, as in European Portuguese. When they attach to a verb form ending in -r, -s, or -z, that final consonant disappears and the pronoun gains an l-: comprar + o = comprá-lo (to buy it). fazes + o = fá-lo (you do it). When the verb ends in a nasal (-am, -em, -ão, -õe), the pronoun gains an n-: veem + o = veem-no. You'll see these forms in writing; in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, the proclitic o vejo sidesteps the problem entirely. We won't drill these spellings today — just know the form exists when you spot vê-lo or fizeram-no in a text.
What about 'I see Pedro' → 'I see him'?
Just like English, you replace the noun with the matching pronoun. Vejo o Pedro → Vejo-o (PT) / O vejo (BR). Conheço a Ana → Conheço-a (PT) / A conheço (BR). With negation, both registers converge: Não o vejo / Não a conheço. Brazilian colloquial often substitutes ele/ela for o/a: Vejo ele = I see him. This is everyday Brazilian speech but considered ungrammatical in formal writing — useful to recognize, not a model to imitate.
