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I will show you in a simple way how to use the pronouns lhe, o, a, and their plural forms. I will also show you a few common mistakes with the use of lhe.
How to Use “lhe”
The pronoun “lhe” is used to replace an indirect object. In other words, it is used to replace the complement of a verb when this complement is preceded by a preposition (a, para). Check out these examples:
- Eu dei um presente para João = I gave a gift to João
- Eu lhe dei um presente = I gave him a gift (“lhe” replaces “para João”)
- Eu dei um presente para você = I gave a gift to you.
- Eu lhe dei um presente = I gave you a gift. (“lhe” replaces “para você”)
Who “lhe” refers to will be clear in the context of a conversation. It could refer to “you”, “he”, or “she”.
- Ana me disse para chegar cedo na reunião. Ela lhe disse a mesma coisa?
= Ana told me to arrive early at the meeting. Did she tell you the same? (“lhe” replaces “a você”)
- José entregou o convite a Maria e Antônio = José handed the invitation to Maria and Antônio.
- José lhes entregou o convite = José handed them the invitation. (“lhe” replaces “a Maria e Antonio”)
How to Use “o”, “a”
The pronouns o and a are used to replace a direct object. In other words, they are used to replace the complement of a verb when this complement is not preceded by a preposition. Examples:
- Eu amo Maria = I love Maria.
- Eu a amo = I love her. (“a” replaces “Maria”)
- Ana abraçou José = Ana embraced José.
- Ana o abraçou = Ana embraced him. (“o” replaces “José”)
- Eu convidei Joana e Fabiana para a festa = I invited Joana and Fabiana to the party
- Eu as convidei para a festa = I invited them to the party (“as” replaces “Joana e Fabiana”)
- Eu vi Cristina e Francisco na praia = I saw Cristina and Francsico at the beach.
- Eu os vi na praia = I saw them at the beach. (“os” replaces “Cristina and Francisco”)
Where to Place the Pronouns
- Eu lhe disse para chegar cedo.
- Eu disse-lhe para chegar cedo.
There are several rules for the correct placement of the pronoun in a sentence.
In Brazil, we usually place the pronoun before the verb. This is especially true for spoken Portuguese. If you place the pronoun before the verb, you will always sound fine. However, if you intend to write academic or professional texts, I recommend that you learn the proper rules.
Do not use a hyphen when you place the pronoun before the verb.
Common Mistakes with the Use of “lhe”
If the complement of the verb does not take a preposition, you cannot replace it with “lhe”. The sentences below would be incorrect:
Incorrect: Eu lhe amo.
Correct:
Eu te amo. Eu amo você. = I love you.
Eu amo Maria. Eu a amo. = I love her.
Eu amo João. Eu o amo = I love him.
Eu amo Maria e João. Eu os amo = I love them.
Eu amo Ana e Maria. Eu as amo = I love them. (fem)
Incorrect: Eu lhe abraçei.
Correct:
Eu te abracei. Eu abracei você. = I hugged you.
Eu abracei Maria. Eu a abracei = I hugged her.
Eu abracei João. Eu o abracei = I hugged him.
Eu abracei Maria e João. Eu os abracei = I hugged them.
Eu abracei Ana e Maria. Eu as abracei = I hugged them. (fem)
Incorrect: Eu lhe vejo todos os dias na aula.
Correct:
Eu te vejo todos os dias na aula. Eu vejo você todos os dias na aula. = I see you every day in class.
Eu o vejo todos os dias na aula. = I see him every day in class.
Eu a vejo todos os dias na aula. = I see her every day in class.
Eu os vejo todos os dias na aula. = I see them every day in class.
Eu as vejo todos os dias na aula. = I see them every day in class. (fem.)
Incorrect: Eu lhe ajudei ontem.
Correct:
Eu te ajudei ontem. Eu ajudei você ontem. = I helped you yesterday.
Eu a ajudei ontem. = I helped her yesterday.
Eu o ajudei ontem. = I helped him yesterday.
Eu os ajudei ontem. = I helped them yesterday.
Eu as ajudei ontem. = I helped them yesterday. (fem)
Enjoy your new knowledge 🙂
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Thank you, Luciana. This is very helpful! The only confusion I have left is regarding using “te” to refer to “VOCÊ.” I’ve heard “te” being used in both cases you described
(1) to replace an indirect object/the complement of a verb when this complement is preceded by prepositions like a/para (e.g. Eu dei um presente para você = Eu te dei um presente; eu te disse que…);
And (2) to replace a direct object when referring to “você” (e.g. eu te amo).
You gave examples of how “te” can be used in the second case but don’t mention whether it’s correct to use “te” to replace “você” when the compliment is preceded by a preposition (to replace “para você” ou “a você) – só would both “lhe” and “te” be acceptable in the examples you gave?
Eu lhe dei um presente.
AND Eu te dei um presente (“lhe” and “te” replace “para você” ?)
Ana me disse para chegar cedo na reunião. Ela lhe disse a mesma coisa?
AND Ela lhe disse a mesma coisa? (“lhe” any “te” can be used to replace “a você”?)
Muito obrigada!!
Apologies mistyped the last example. I meant: Ana me disse… Ela lhe disse a mesma coisa?
AND
Ela TE disse a mesma coisa?
Obrigada 🙏🏼
Oi, Alex! Yes, you can use “te” in both examples. When we use “você” (whether explicitly or implicitly), we use “lhe”. Ana lhe disse isso. = Ana disse isso a você. When we use “tu”(whether explicitly or implicitly), we use “te”. This is the simple version of things, of course, so I can avoid saying something like pronome pessoal oblíquo átono (te) 😉
In an online Brazilian Portuguese program I’m using, I came across this: QUOTE Right. in the dialogue we heard the phrase Ele não vai aparecer só pra lhe conhecer, né Sofia? Which we translated as “He won’t appear just to meet you, will he Sofia?” Here, lhe is placed before the verb. UNQUOTE
When I asked about the use of “lhe” here (where I had expected to find either “te” or “a” before “conhecer” or “você” after “conhecer”), I was told that the use of “lhe” was idiomatic in Brazilian Portuguese.
Do you agree?
I agree that Brazilians use “lhe” very regularly including in situations when the grammar says it is incorrect. I agree that the sentence given will likely be used with “lhe”, but it is not correct grammar.
In this case it should be one of these options:
* pra te conhecer
* pra conhecer você
* pra conhecê-la
But no one in Brazil uses the third option above in everyday Portuguese. You will find it in books and articles, but it is not how we speak.
Muito obrigado!
I am glad you asked. It means that you get the grammar, and this is not an easy part of Portuguese. So, good for you!
De novo, obrigado!
This is very well explained Luciana. Granted, I have a linguistics degree and have studied other European languages that use pronouns in this way 😊 but your explanation definitely helped!
Muito obrigada! That is wonderful to hear 🙂
I still don’t understand this at all. O and a as pronouns, lhe, and the grammar terms are new to me. “Complement,” and “indirect objects” are new to me. Many of the examples of how to use “lhe” dont even use “lhe”. This was supposed to be a simple example of how to do this so I’m concerned. I was trying to read a beginning Portugues book with translations but “lhe” wasn’t translated because it wasn’t considered difficult. I have always scored very high on English tests but was never taught much English grammar terminology. Do I need to learn that first before I can learn Portugues? I have been studying now for 3 years and 9 months and been to Brasil 13 times and can’t converse yet. Thanks! Pat
Knowing grammar helps, but you can also just observe how people use “lhe”. It is used, I assured you. You will find it in magazine and newspaper articles, songs, blog posts, and your friend are going to use it. Observe it, ask about it, and try to use. You can learn by trial and error.
I still can’t read or converse in Portuguese after studying for 5.5 years and going to Brasil 17 times. I can’t make out most of what people are saying and I have to translate everything into English that I do hear. I practice every day with my girlfriend who only speaks Portuguese and have for 2.5 years. She has to write most things down so I can use a translator. It’s like deciphering a secret code instead of learning a language. I take classes, read books, watch movies and videos, use apps and other things but it doesn’t seem like I’m learning. How do I learn without translating? I can’t translate fast enough to converse. Lhe, o and a as pronouns are still a mystery to me. Patfromamboy@aol.com Thanks
Find a new language to learn.
Yea Rob, I agree – this seems to be a hopeless case… I look forward to an update along the lines of “I have been studying now for 9 years and been to Brasil 65 times and still can’t read, write or converse…” Poor chap 😢
I’ve never heard it used yet as far as I can tell. I can’t understand what people are saying yet. I can’t read yet either after studying for 5.75 years. Portuguese has been very difficult for me. I study and practice every day for several hours. I need to find a way to learn without translating everything word for word into English. Thanks!
I didn’t understand this. Using “a” and “o” has been very confusing for me and now this has been making it more confusing. After studying Portugues for 3 years and 4 months I thought I would be able to understand it and converse but after 13 trips to Brasil my girlfriend there still has to order for me at restaurants because I cannot understand the waiters. It’s the most frustrating thing I’ve ever done. Any ideas? Thanks. Patrick
Thank you Luciana,
You’ve explained this part of grammar in simple terms with useful examples.
Hoss
Glad to have helped 🙂 Obrigada.