Clitic placement by register & written object pronouns

What it is

Brazilian Portuguese has two systems for placing object pronouns (me, te, se, nos, lhe, o, a…), and the choice depends on register, not on right versus wrong.

• In speech (and in chats, messages and informal writing) the pronoun goes before the verb, almost always: Me diz uma coisa. Te ligo amanhã. Vou te ligar.
• In formal writing (emails to clients, reports, official letters, exams) a few traditional rules apply: no pronoun at the start of a sentence (Diga-me, Informamos-lhe), the pronoun before the verb after "attracting" words (não, que, quem…), and special shapes for o / a (comprá-lo, venderam-na).

You learned the spoken system in pt-g-032 (Vi ele, Me empresta?). This topic adds the written one and shows when to switch.

How to form it

Speech: before the main verb

The pronoun sticks to the main verb, but without a hyphen: vou te ligar, never vou ligar-te in everyday Brazilian.

Formal writing: three rules

1. Don’t start a sentence with a pronoun. Put it after the verb, with a hyphen: Diga-me…, Informamos-lhe que…, Desculpe-nos pelo atraso.
2. Attracting words pull the pronoun before the verb: negatives (não, nunca, ninguém, nada), que and other conjunctions (quando, se, embora), question words and quem, and some adverbs (já, ainda, talvez, sempre, também): Não me disseram nada. Agradecemos a todos que nos ajudaram. Quem lhe deu essa informação?
3. Otherwise Brazilian formal writing accepts both after a subject: O cliente nos procurou or O cliente procurou-nos. With an infinitive, Vamos enviar-lhe is the most formal; Vamos lhe enviar is widely accepted in Brazil.

o, a, os, as in writing

The direct-object pronouns change shape after some verb endings:

When the -r drops, an accent keeps the stress: -á-lo for -ar verbs, -ê-lo for -er verbs, but -i-lo with no accent for -ir verbs: ajudá-lo, lê-lo, dividi-lo. Pôr gives pô-lo.

Lhe is the indirect object (to him, to her) and, in formal writing, the polite "to you": Lembramos-lhe que o prazo termina na sexta. In speech, Brazilians usually say pra você or pra ele.

Try a few before reading on:

When to use it

• Speech, WhatsApp, chats with friends and colleagues: pronoun first. Me manda o arquivo? Te vejo amanhã! For 3rd-person objects, speech uses ele / ela or nothing: Vi ela ontem. Comprei.
• Formal emails, letters, reports, exams: the written rules. Em que podemos ajudá-lo? Informamos-lhe que o pedido foi enviado.
• In between (a work email to a colleague, a news article): Brazilian writers often mix (Vou te enviar, Ele me disse) but still avoid opening a sentence with a pronoun.

Contrasts and traps

• Hypercorrection is an error too. Diga-me uma coisa, cara in a chat sounds stiff or European. With friends: Me diz uma coisa.
• Attractors win in every register. Ninguém me avisou, never ninguém avisou-me.
• Never after a participle. Tinha me avisado, not tinha avisado-me.
• No hyphen after a future verb. Enviarei-lhe is wrong (that needs a form you will meet at C1). Say Vou enviar-lhe or Envio-lhe.
• -nos can mislead. Compraram-nos can mean "they bought them" or "they bought us"; if it’s ambiguous, rephrase.
• Accent or not: comprá-lo, vendê-lo, but parti-lo.

If you speak Spanish

Spanish attaches pronouns to infinitives, gerunds and positive imperatives: dímelo, quiero verte, estoy esperándote. Brazilian speech does the opposite: me diz, quero te ver, tô te esperando. Spanish comprarlo becomes comprá-lo in writing (the -r drops, plus an accent and a hyphen), or simply comprar ele / comprar in speech. Spanish le is lhe, and usted is o senhor / a senhora: Le informamos → Informamos-lhe.