Your Essential Guide to Portuguese Pronouns

Portuguese features a variety of pronouns, ranging from personal pronouns such as direct and indirect object pronouns to possessive and indefinite pronouns.

Whether you are describing a possession, referring to someone, or stating a viewpoint, you will find Portuguese pronouns used constantly. This guide will introduce you to the key Portuguese pronouns and show you how to use them with practical examples.

Portuguese Personal Pronouns

Portuguese grammar includes five types of personal pronouns (pronomes pessoais): subject, reflexive, direct object, indirect object, and prepositional.

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns (pronomes subjetivos) function as the subject of a verb.

Eu

Eu is the exclusive term for "I" in Portuguese. It applies to both males and females and is a first-person pronoun. Here is an example of its usage:

Eu tenho fome. — I’m hungry.

Tu

It's useful to know that the way "you" is expressed varies between different dialects (such as Brazilian or European Portuguese).

Tu represents one of the two primary forms for saying "you".

The usage and frequency of tu depend on the region. In Brazil, the informal "you" is typically você; tu is considered formal by some, though in parts of northeastern and southern Brazil, it is used informally. When employed, the verb that follows is often conjugated similarly to você, which uses the third person singular conjugation (he/she/it).

Tu tá me entendendo? — Do you understand me? (A Brazilian person, using tu very informally)

In Portugal, tu is the informal version of "you" and você is the formal one. People generally use tu when speaking to someone younger or with whom they are familiar:

Tu estás feliz? — Are you happy? (Portugal)

Você

The other frequent way to say "you" is você, or its plural form vocês. The regional context also influences how você is applied.

In Brazil, this form is very widespread and used in daily communication.

Você quer alguma coisa? — Would you like something? (Brazil)

In Portugal, você is used in formal situations, for instance when addressing someone older. Note that, even though você means "you," it is paired with the third-person singular verb form. So instead of the incorrect você tens (you have), you would say você tem (you have).

O senhor and a senhora

To show additional respect to elders, you can use o senhor (sir) or a senhora (miss). In Brazil, o senhor and a senhora are formal terms for addressing someone of higher status, authority, or prestige. These words replace "you," but are used with the third-person singular verb. For example:

A senhora pode me ajudar? — Could you help me?

A senhora gostaria de sentar aqui? — Would you [formal] like to sit here?

Ele and ela

When referring to a masculine noun, use ele, and for a feminine noun, use ela. These are singular pronouns:

Ele é alto. — He’s tall.

Ela pensou que a festa ia ser hoje. — She thought the party would be today.

Nós and a gente

Nós is the most frequent form of "we"/"us" in both Portuguese variants, whereas a gente (literally, "the people") is a colloquial Brazilian Portuguese expression for "we"/"us." (Note that the verb following a gente is conjugated in the third person singular.)

Nós estamos na praia. — We’re at the beach.

Nós vamos? — Are we going?

A gente vai? — Are we going?

A gente vai falar com a professora. — We’re going to talk to the teacher.

Vós

The pronoun vós is not commonly used nowadays, but it remains good to know. It is viewed as formal and old-fashioned, though some people in northern Portugal and northeastern Brazil might still use it.

Vós falastes com ele? — Have you all/you guys talked to him? (Portugal)

You are more likely to encounter vós in classical literature or historical narratives.

Eles and elas

To refer to a group of women or a plural feminine noun, use elas. For a plural masculine noun, use eles. When referring to a mixed group of men and women, eles is also used.

Here are some examples of these pronouns in context:

Eles estão correndo bem rápido. — They’re [mas. or mixed] running very fast.

Elas querem festejar! — They [fem.] want to party!

Review

Here is a brief summary of which "you" pronouns to use in different situations and locations:

Differences Between English and Portuguese Subject Pronouns

Although the basic concepts of pronouns are similar in English and Portuguese, Portuguese pronouns operate more like Spanish pronouns. Here are the key distinctions between English and Portuguese pronouns:

• The pronoun is not always necessary: If the context makes it clear who is being discussed, you can leave out the pronoun. This often happens when the conjugated verb itself indicates the subject. For example, you can say either: Eu estou escutando. (I’m listening.) or Estou escutando. (I’m listening.) Even without the pronoun in the second instance, the verb form tells the listener that you are referring to yourself. Once you master verb conjugations, you will easily grasp the meaning without needing pronouns every time.
• Third-person pronouns function as dummy pronouns: A dummy pronoun is one that does not specify a gender, like "it" in English. In Portuguese, you use ele or ela or their plural forms. For instance, if discussing a dog in English, you might say: "It ate my homework!" In Portuguese, you would say: Ele comeu minha lição de casa! Simply identify whether the noun "it" refers to is feminine or masculine. Use ela for feminine and ele for masculine.
• A second-person pronoun can be replaced by a noun: This occurs when you are speaking directly to the person and it implies the tu or você. Oi! Colega, pode me ajudar? (Hey! Classmate, can you help me?) Pai, quer comida? (Dad, do you want food?)

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns (pronomes reflexivos) are used with reflexive verbs or when the subject and object of a sentence are the same person.

Pay close attention here, as many sentences that are reflexive in Portuguese do not have reflexive equivalents in English.

Me and nos usually come before a verb. In sentences where these reflexive pronouns follow the verb, they are connected with a hyphen.

Eu me lembro bem disso. — I myself remember this well.

Diga-me quando souber o que aconteceu. — Tell me when you know what happened.

Lavamo-nos no riacho. — We washed ourselves in the stream.

Se is used for "yourself" when replacing você and is conjugated in the third person singular.

Você se aborreceu com ele? — Were you upset with him?

Se and si are used for both genders when meaning "himself"/"herself"/"itself" or "yourselves"/"themselves"/"each other."

Ele/Ela se queimou. — He/She burned himself/herself.

Eles deram a si um intervalo. — They gave themselves a short break.

Vocês se falam. — You talk (among yourselves).

Vos is the reflexive form for vós and is most often found in Portugal.

Vós vos lavastes no riacho. — You washed yourselves in the stream.

Direct Object Pronouns

A direct object pronoun (pronome de objeto direto) replaces an object (typically a noun) to prevent repetition.

These usually precede a verb, though in more complex sentences they can follow.

For "him"/"her"/"it": o/a are placed before a verb, while lo/la typically come after a verb. The same applies to the plural forms (os/as, los/las).

Eu a conheço há anos. — I’ve known her for years.

Eu vou conhecê-lo amanhã. — I’ll meet him tomorrow.

Eu quero chamá-los para sair para jantar. — I want to invite them to go out for dinner.

Nos can be used either before or after a verb.

Ela quer nos dar uma ajuda. — She wants to give us some help.

Ele vai dar-nos o seu apoio. — He’ll give us his support.

Indirect Object Pronouns

An indirect object pronoun (pronome de objeto indireto) replaces the indirect object (usually a noun) in a sentence to avoid repetition.

Essentially, indirect object pronouns relate to things that are intended for the person mentioned.

Mim is always used after a preposition like para (to or for) or de (of).

Comprei esse relógio para mim. — I bought this watch for myself.

Lhe is gender-neutral and can be used for the second- or third-person singular. The same rule applies to lhes for the second- and third-person plurals.

Eu lhe dei um presente. — I gave a present to him/her.

Prepositional Pronouns

Prepositions often link people, objects, time, or locations within a sentence. These pronouns help show relationships between elements without repeating words.

Prepositional pronouns (pronomes preposicionais) are different from direct and indirect object pronouns because they always come after a preposition, such as de (of), em (in), or com (with).

In some cases, the prepositional pronouns combine the pronoun and the preposition com (with). For example, com + ti = contigo; com + nós = connosco/conosco.

Eles querem ir comigo. — They want to go with me.

Eu queria ir contigo. — I wanted to go with you.

Conosco is used in Brazil, while connosco is the preferred spelling in Portugal.

Por que não viaja conosco? — Why won’t you travel with us? (Brazilian Portuguese)

Por que não viajas connosco? — Why won’t you travel with us? (European Portuguese)

Com nós (without contraction) is typically used when the number of people or objects is specified.

Ele discutiu o problema com nós três. — He discussed the problem with the three of us. (Literally, “with us three”)

Portuguese Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns (pronomes possessivos) indicate ownership.

Sometimes the definite articles o, a, os, and as (the) come before possessive pronouns, though they are often left out.

When using possessive pronouns, they must match the gender and number of the noun they describe.

Meu computador — My computer (singular, masculine)

Minha casa — My house (singular, feminine)

Meus cachorros — My dogs (plural, masculine)

Minhas melhores amigas — My best (girl) friends (plural, feminine)

Teu/tua/teus/tuas are used with tu, while seu/sua/seus/suas are used with você.

(As) Tuas amigas — Your (female) friends

(O) Seu vizinho — Your (male) neighbor

Vosso/vossa/vossos/vossas are used with vós and are primarily found in European Portuguese.

Ponha isto na vossa mala. — Put this in your suitcase.

Emprestei o vosso casaco. — I borrowed your coat.

Dele/deles (masc.) and dela/delas agree in gender and number with the owner. This is different from other possessive pronouns, which agree with the noun that follows them.

As irmãs deles — Their sisters (when “their” refers to men/boys)

Os irmãos delas — Their brothers (when “their” refers to women/girls)

Portuguese Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns (pronomes demonstrativos) point out an object in relation to the speaker. In Portuguese, these can be variable (masculine or feminine) or invariable (gender-neutral).

These pronouns consider both the physical and temporal distance of the objects being indicated.

For "this" and "these": Este/esta (masculine/feminine) and estes/estas are variable pronouns used for something near the speaker and/or something in the near future or present.

Vou escrever uma carta esta semana. — I’ll write a letter this week.

Isto is invariable but is used to point out objects in the same way.

Isto é perfeito para mim. — This is perfect for me.

For "that" and "those": the variable esse/essa/esses/essas and invariable isso are used when an object is closer to the listener (e.g., "that box you're holding") or when discussing a recent past or future event both speaker and listener know ("that restaurant we visited"; "that coffee shop we'll be meeting at later").

Esse cachorro é do meu vizinho. — That dog is my neighbor's.

Isso é muito caro. — That’s very expensive.

Aquele/aquela/aqueles/aquelas (variable) and aquilo (invariable) are used for something that is far away or in the distant past.

Você encontrou aquelas chaves que tinha perdido? — Did you find those keys that you lost?

Aquilo me ofendeu. — That offended me (at the time).

Portuguese Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns (pronomes relativos) refer back to a noun or pronoun mentioned earlier, connecting it to another part of the sentence.

Que can be used with a preposition like em (in) or by itself.

O homem que me telefonou. — The man who called me.

A casa em que ela mora. — The house in which she lives.

Quem is used when referring to a person or a personified object and always follows a preposition.

O funcionário por quem fomos assistidos foi muito gentil. — The employee by whom we were helped was very kind.

Definite articles (o/a, os/as) must come before qual (singular) and quais (plural) and they must match the gender of the subject/noun referred to.

O jogador sobre o qual eu falei foi premiado ontem. — The player who I talked about won an award yesterday.

Falamos com a prima dele, a qual mora na Inglaterra. — We talked to his (female) cousin who lives in England.

Cujo/cujos/cuja/cujas agree in gender and number with the possessed item, not the possessor.

Patrícia é a estudante cujo trabalho foi muito elogiado. — Patrícia is the student whose work was greatly praised.

Onde is a synonym for em que (in which) and always refers to locations.

A casa onde eu cresci foi demolida. — The house where I grew up was demolished.

Portuguese Interrogative Pronouns

As the name suggests, interrogative pronouns (pronomes interrogativos) are used to ask questions about possession or identity.

Que (what) is always followed by a noun; o que is typically followed by a verb.

Que dia é hoje? — What day is it today?

O que posso fazer? — What can I do?

When por que (why) is used at the end of a sentence, or as a standalone question, the quê is spelled with a circumflex accent. It's also important to note that porque means "because" and o porquê is "the reason why."

Por que ele faltou à aula? — Why did he miss class?

Ela não quer falar comigo? Eu posso saber por quê? — She doesn’t want to talk to me? Can you tell me why?

Qual/quais (which) implies a selection and doesn't always need a noun after it.

Eu não sei qual é o meu favorito. — I don’t know which is my favorite.

Quais dias eles estarão disponíveis? — What/Which days will they be available?

Quanto/quantos and quanta/quantas must match the gender and number of the associated noun.

Sua filha tem quantos anos? — How old is your daughter? (Literally, “how many years does your daughter have?”)

Eu preciso de quantas maçãs para essa receita? — How many apples will I need for this recipe?

Portuguese Indefinite Pronouns

Finally, we have indefinite pronouns (pronomes indefinidos), which refer to people or things that are identifiable in a sentence but not specifically named.

Nada can be used in affirmative, negative, or interrogative sentences. The word não (no or not) + a verb usually comes before it.

Nós não sabíamos de nada. — We didn’t know anything.

Você não tem mais nada a adicionar? — Don’t you have anything else to add?

Alguém (somebody/anybody) and ninguém (nobody/no one) can be used in both affirmative and interrogative sentences.

Alguém veio te ajudar? — Did someone come to help you?

Eu não conheço ninguém aqui. — I don’t know anyone here.

Ninguém quer falar comigo. — Nobody wants to talk to me.

When todo/toda means "each" or "all," a definite article is not needed. When referring to an entire thing, a definite article is required.

Eu ligo para ela todo dia. — I call her every day.

Ele ficou o dia todo fora de casa. — He was away from home all day.

Todos/todas are always followed by the definite articles os and as.

Eu corro todas as manhãs. — I run every morning.

Nós contamos todos os itens. — We counted all the items.

Tudo, nada, alguém, and ninguém are all invariable. All other indefinite pronouns must agree in gender and number with their corresponding subject/noun.

Ele me contou tudo. — He told me everything.

Ele tem poucos amigos. — He has few friends.

Ele tem poucas amigas. — He has few (female) friends.

How to Practice Portuguese Pronouns

There are numerous methods to practice Portuguese pronouns. If you need ideas, here are a few recommendations:

• Write your own sentences. By constructing your own sentences, you can practice spelling, grammar, and pronunciation in one session! Write them in a notebook or type them in a document. Then, review them to check for correct spelling and grammar, and read them aloud to practice your chosen Portuguese dialect.
• Engage with authentic Portuguese materials. These pronouns frequently appear in everyday Portuguese communication, so you have many resources to select from, including television series and news outlets. For instance, observe how often pronouns are used in this Portuguese-dubbed scene from "Friends":

• Listen to Portuguese music. Portuguese songs are excellent for recognizing and hearing Portuguese pronouns in context. For an extra challenge, try to write down the pronouns you hear, then listen again with the lyrics visible to check your understanding.

A helpful resource for music and other authentic media is Lingflix, a language learning platform that offers a collection of real Portuguese videos with interactive subtitles and quizzes. You can even look up specific vocabulary or pronouns from this post to see more examples in context. Lingflix uses authentic videos—such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks—and transforms them into personalized language lessons. You can try Lingflix for free for 2 weeks. Click here to visit the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

Portuguese Pronouns Quiz

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate pronoun for each sentence!

1. _____ sou a pessoa mais linda aqui. (I am the most beautiful person here.)

2. _____ quer jantar comigo? (Do you want to eat dinner with me?)

3. De manhã, _____ encontramos na estação de ônibus antes de irmos a pé para a universidade. (In the morning, we meet at the bus station before walking to university.)

4. Ela sempre _____ levanta cedo para sair para correr. (She always gets up early to go for a run.)

5. Eu _____ convidei para jantar na minha casa. (I invited him to have dinner at my house.)

6. Mesmo que não pudessem vir ao casamento, eles _____ enviaram um presente lindo. (Even though they couldn’t come to the wedding, they sent us a beautiful present.)

7. O meio ambiente é muito importante _____. (The environment is very important to me.)

8. Encontrei este livro _____. Espero que ele goste! (I found this book for him. I hope he likes it!)

9. Vocês querem vir a São Paulo _____ neste fim de semana? (Do you want to come to São Paulo with me this weekend?)

10. Ele trouxe muitos lanches _____ para a viagem de ônibus. (He brought lots of snacks with him for the bus journey.)

11. Eu acho que aquela mochila é _____! Ele me disse que a tinha perdido. (I think that’s his backpack! He told me that he had lost it.)

12. _____ passaportes estão sobre a mesa, ao lado da garrafa de água. (Our passports are on the table next to the bottle of water.)

13. _____ cidade sempre foi especial para mim. (This city has always been special to me.)

14. Onde você comprou _____ sapatos? Eu adoro eles! (Where did you buy those shoes? I love them!)

15. Este é meu amigo _____ conheci enquanto estudava no Porto! (This is my friend who I met while studying in Porto!)

16. Não sei _____ deixei meu celular. Você pode ligar para o meu número? (I don’t know where I left my cell phone. Can you call my number?)

17. _____ animais de estimação você tem? (How many pets do you have?)

18. _____ você decidiu estudar outra língua? (Why did you decide to study another language?)

19. Há _____ pessoas na praia hoje! (There are so many people at the beach today!)

20. _____ vai estudar na biblioteca depois da aula? (Is anyone going to study in the library after class?)

Solutions: 1. Eu 2. Você 3. Nos 4. Se 5. O 6. Nos 7. Para mim 8. Para ele 9. Comigo 10. Consigo 11. Dele 12. Nossos 13. Esta 14. Esses 15. Que 16. Onde 17. Quantos 18. Por que 19. Tantas 20. Alguém

Now that you have learned about the various Portuguese pronouns, it's time to apply your knowledge!

Be inventive and don't hesitate to combine different learning methods to find what suits you best. Whether you're reading the news, listening to a podcast, or watching a film, you will constantly encounter Portuguese pronouns. Opportunities are abundant, so ensure you make the most of them.