Learning a new language can be an exciting yet challenging endeavor. Among the many aspects of Portuguese that English speakers must master, personal pronouns are particularly essential. They are fundamental to constructing sentences and conveying clear meanings. In this article, we will explore the different types of personal pronouns in Portuguese, their uses, and how they compare to their English counterparts.
Subject Pronouns
Subject pronouns are used to indicate who is performing the action in a sentence. In Portuguese, these pronouns vary depending on the person (first, second, third) and number (singular, plural). Additionally, Portuguese distinguishes between formal and informal speech, which affects the choice of pronoun.
Singular Subject Pronouns:
1. **Eu** (I): Refers to the speaker.
– Example: Eu estou feliz. (I am happy.)
2. **Tu** (You – informal): Used mainly in Portugal and some regions of Brazil.
– Example: Tu és meu amigo. (You are my friend.)
3. **Você** (You – formal/informal): Commonly used in Brazil for both formal and informal contexts.
– Example: Você é incrível. (You are amazing.)
4. **Ele/Ela** (He/She): Refers to a male or female third person.
– Example: Ele gosta de futebol. (He likes soccer.)
– Example: Ela gosta de música. (She likes music.)
Plural Subject Pronouns:
1. **Nós** (We): Refers to a group including the speaker.
– Example: Nós vamos ao cinema. (We are going to the cinema.)
2. **Vós** (You – formal plural): Archaic and rarely used in modern Portuguese.
– Example: Vós tendes razão. (You are right.)
3. **Vocês** (You – plural): Commonly used in both Portugal and Brazil.
– Example: Vocês são bem-vindos. (You are welcome.)
4. **Eles/Elas** (They): Refers to a group of males/mixed gender or females.
– Example: Eles estudam juntos. (They study together.)
– Example: Elas estudam juntas. (They study together.)
Object Pronouns
Object pronouns are used to indicate who is receiving the action of the verb. They can be direct or indirect, depending on the type of verb.
Direct Object Pronouns:
1. **Me** (Me): Used for the first person singular.
– Example: Ele me viu. (He saw me.)
2. **Te** (You – informal): Used for the second person singular.
– Example: Eu te amo. (I love you.)
3. **O/ A** (Him/Her/It): Used for the third person singular.
– Example: Eu o vi. (I saw him/it.)
– Example: Eu a vi. (I saw her/it.)
4. **Nos** (Us): Used for the first person plural.
– Example: Ele nos ajudou. (He helped us.)
5. **Vos** (You – formal plural): Rarely used.
– Example: Eu vos vi. (I saw you.)
6. **Os/As** (Them): Used for the third person plural.
– Example: Eu os vi. (I saw them – males/mixed group.)
– Example: Eu as vi. (I saw them – females.)
Indirect Object Pronouns:
1. **Me** (Me): Used for the first person singular.
– Example: Ele me deu um presente. (He gave me a gift.)
2. **Te** (You – informal): Used for the second person singular.
– Example: Eu te dei um conselho. (I gave you advice.)
3. **Lhe** (Him/Her): Used for the third person singular.
– Example: Eu lhe dei um presente. (I gave him/her a gift.)
4. **Nos** (Us): Used for the first person plural.
– Example: Ele nos deu um presente. (He gave us a gift.)
5. **Vos** (You – formal plural): Rarely used.
– Example: Eu vos dei um presente. (I gave you a gift.)
6. **Lhes** (Them): Used for the third person plural.
– Example: Eu lhes dei um presente. (I gave them a gift.)
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object of the verb are the same person or group of people. They are often used with reflexive verbs.
1. **Me** (Myself): Used for the first person singular.
– Example: Eu me levanto cedo. (I get up early.)
2. **Te** (Yourself – informal): Used for the second person singular.
– Example: Tu te vestes rápido. (You dress quickly.)
3. **Se** (Himself/Herself/Itself): Used for the third person singular.
– Example: Ele se olhou no espelho. (He looked at himself in the mirror.)
– Example: Ela se penteia todos os dias. (She combs her hair every day.)
4. **Nos** (Ourselves): Used for the first person plural.
– Example: Nós nos divertimos muito. (We enjoyed ourselves a lot.)
5. **Vos** (Yourselves – formal plural): Rarely used.
– Example: Vós vos preparastes. (You prepared yourselves.)
6. **Se** (Themselves): Used for the third person plural.
– Example: Eles se encontraram no parque. (They met themselves in the park.)
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns indicate ownership or possession. They must agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.
Singular Possessive Pronouns:
1. **Meu/Minha** (My/Mine): Used for the first person singular.
– Example: Este é meu livro. (This is my book.)
– Example: Esta é minha casa. (This is my house.)
2. **Teu/Tua** (Your/Yours – informal): Used for the second person singular.
– Example: Este é teu carro. (This is your car.)
– Example: Esta é tua mochila. (This is your backpack.)
3. **Seu/Sua** (His/Her/Its/Your – formal): Used for the third person singular.
– Example: Este é seu relógio. (This is his/her/your watch.)
– Example: Esta é sua bicicleta. (This is his/her/your bicycle.)
Plural Possessive Pronouns:
1. **Nosso/Nossa** (Our/Ours): Used for the first person plural.
– Example: Este é nosso cachorro. (This is our dog.)
– Example: Esta é nossa escola. (This is our school.)
2. **Vosso/Vossa** (Your/Yours – formal plural): Rarely used.
– Example: Este é vosso terreno. (This is your land.)
– Example: Esta é vossa responsabilidade. (This is your responsibility.)
3. **Seu/Sua** (Their/Theirs): Used for the third person plural.
– Example: Este é seu computador. (This is their computer.)
– Example: Esta é sua sala. (This is their room.)
Demonstrative Pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific things or people. They can also indicate proximity to the speaker.
Singular Demonstrative Pronouns:
1. **Este/Esta** (This): Used for things or people close to the speaker.
– Example: Este é meu irmão. (This is my brother.)
– Example: Esta é minha amiga. (This is my friend.)
2. **Esse/Essa** (That): Used for things or people close to the listener.
– Example: Esse é o seu problema. (That is your problem.)
– Example: Essa é a sua caneta. (That is your pen.)
3. **Aquele/Aquela** (That – over there): Used for things or people far from both the speaker and the listener.
– Example: Aquele é o meu carro. (That is my car over there.)
– Example: Aquela é a casa deles. (That is their house over there.)
Plural Demonstrative Pronouns:
1. **Estes/Estas** (These): Used for things or people close to the speaker.
– Example: Estes são meus livros. (These are my books.)
– Example: Estas são minhas amigas. (These are my friends.)
2. **Esses/Essas** (Those): Used for things or people close to the listener.
– Example: Esses são seus problemas. (Those are your problems.)
– Example: Essas são suas canetas. (Those are your pens.)
3. **Aqueles/Aquelas** (Those – over there): Used for things or people far from both the speaker and the listener.
– Example: Aqueles são seus amigos. (Those are your friends over there.)
– Example: Aquelas são as casas deles. (Those are their houses over there.)
Interrogative Pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people or things. In Portuguese, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to.
1. **Quem** (Who): Used to ask about people.
– Example: Quem é você? (Who are you?)
– Example: Quem são eles? (Who are they?)
2. **O que/Que** (What): Used to ask about things.
– Example: O que você quer? (What do you want?)
– Example: Que livro você está lendo? (What book are you reading?)
3. **Qual/Quais** (Which): Used to ask about specific items from a known set.
– Example: Qual é o seu nome? (What is your name?)
– Example: Quais são os seus planos? (What are your plans?)
Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are used to link clauses and provide additional information about a noun mentioned previously in the sentence.
1. **Que** (That/Which/Who): Used for both people and things.
– Example: O livro que eu li é interessante. (The book that I read is interesting.)
– Example: A mulher que você viu é minha mãe. (The woman who you saw is my mother.)
2. **Quem** (Who/Whom): Used specifically for people.
– Example: O homem com quem falei é médico. (The man with whom I spoke is a doctor.)
3. **O qual/A qual/Os quais/As quais** (Which/Who): Used in more formal contexts.
– Example: A empresa para a qual trabalho é grande. (The company for which I work is large.)
– Example: Os livros dos quais falei estão aqui. (The books about which I spoke are here.)
4. **Cujo/Cuja/Cujos/Cujas** (Whose): Used to indicate possession.
– Example: O homem cuja filha está doente é meu vizinho. (The man whose daughter is sick is my neighbor.)
– Example: A casa cujas janelas estão quebradas é velha. (The house whose windows are broken is old.)
Conclusion
Mastering personal pronouns in Portuguese is a crucial step towards fluency. By understanding the different types of pronouns and their uses, you can form more accurate and meaningful sentences. While the similarities between English and Portuguese pronouns can provide a helpful starting point, the differences in formality, gender, and number agreement present unique challenges.
Practice using these pronouns in various contexts to become more comfortable with their application. As you become more proficient, you will find that your ability to communicate effectively and understand Portuguese will improve significantly. Happy learning!
