Study Portuguese In The Azores

The direct object pronouns in Portuguese are:

Portuguese              English

me                                 me
te                                   you – singular and familiar
o                                    you – masculine – singular and formal.  It is also him and it.
a                                    you – feminine – singular and formal.  It is also her and it.
nos                                us
vos                                you – plural – masculine and feminine
os                                  them – masculine
as                                  them – feminine

Usage of the direct object pronouns in a sentence:

1. Pronouns replace the nouns in the sentence and they follow the verb in affirmative sentences.

Eu tenho um livro.                  Eu tenho-o.
I have a book.                            I have it.

Eu chamei-te ontem.               Ela convidou-me a uma festa.
I called you yesterday.           She invited me to a party.

2. If the question doesn’t begin with an interrogative word, the direct object pronouns will also follow the verb.

Ela preguntou-me por os meus pais?
She asked me about my parents?

3. But when beginning a question with an interrogative word, the direct object will be placed before the verb.  Study the example.

Eu vi os teus pais hoje.                       Onde  os vistes?
I saw your parents today.                  Where did you see them?

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O que é isto?

Most pronouns in Portuguese are connected by gender to their objects.  However, the demonstrative pronouns isto, isso, and aquilo are not gender-specific. Instead, they remain the same for both masculine and feminine objects. For this reason, they are called “invariable.” However, you still need to choose the correct one for your Portuguese sentences. The functions of invariable demonstrative pronouns are based upon the distance between the speaker and the object to which the speaker is referring, and also the second speaker, the person who is listening to the sentence. Sound confusing? Let’s take a look at the words and some examples to clear up the mystery. Like everything else you learn, it becomes easy once you break it down into manageable parts.

1. In Portuguese the invariable demonstrative pronouns are isto, isso, and aquilo.

2. Isto and isso mean this, and aquilo means that.

Examples:

A.  When the object is near the speaker, use isto.

Question:     O que é isto?
Answer:            É um livro.  |  É uma formiga.

B.  When the object is nearer the person to whom you are speaking, use isso.

Question:     O que é isso?
Answer:            É um livro de contos. |  É uma rosa de papel.

C.  When the object is far from both speakers in the conversation, use aquilo.

Question:     O que é aquilo?
Answer:           É um carro. |  É uma árvore.

Now when you create your Portuguese sentences, you will be able to choose the right word. Practice what you have learned and soon the correct choices will become automatic, and that is what leads to fluency! Boa Sorte!