Personal Pronouns in Portuguese

Personal pronouns are essential in any language to replace a noun and avoid repetition. In Portuguese, personal pronouns play an important role in communication. Here, we'll learn how to identify and use the correct personal pronouns in a sentence, allowing you to improve your conversational Portuguese.

Subject Pronouns

Subject pronouns are used as the subject of a sentence. They indicate who is performing the action. Let's take a look at the subject pronouns in Portuguese:

• Eu (I)
• Você (you informal)
• Ele (he)
• Ela (she)
• Nós (we)
• Vocês (you plural or formal)
• Eles (they masculine)
• Elas (they feminine)

Object Pronouns

Object pronouns replace the direct or indirect object of a sentence. They are used when someone or something is receiving the action. Here are the object pronouns in Portuguese:

• Me (me)
• Te (you informal)
• O (him or it masculine)
• A (her or it feminine)
• Nos (us)
• Vos (you plural or formal)
• Os (them masculine)
• As (them feminine)

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns indicate possession or ownership. They are used to replace a noun that shows who something belongs to. Let's take a look at the possessive pronouns in Portuguese:

• Meu/Minha (mine)
• Teu/Tua (yours informal)
• Seu/Sua (yours formal)
• Nosso/Nossa (ours)
• Vosso/Vossa (yours plural or formal)
• Deles/Delas (theirs)

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns point to a specific object or refer to something previously mentioned. They indicate the proximity in distance or time. Here are the demonstrative pronouns in Portuguese:

• Este/Esta (this or these)
• Esse/Essa (that or those)
• Aquele/Aquela (that or those over there)

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject of the sentence is also the object of the action. They indicate that the subject is performing an action on itself. In Portuguese, reflexive pronouns are similar to the object pronouns with the addition of a reflexive pronoun. Let's take a look:

• Me (myself)
• Te (yourself informal)
• Se (yourself formal)
• Se (himself, herself, itself or themselves)
• Nos (ourselves)
• Vos (yourselves plural or formal)
• Se (themselves)

Practice

To practice using personal pronouns in Portuguese, try replacing the nouns with their respective pronouns in your conversations. This will help you become more comfortable and fluent in using pronouns correctly. Additionally, pay attention to how these pronouns change depending on the gender and number of the noun they are replacing.

Remember, mastering the use of personal pronouns is crucial for effective communication in Portuguese. With regular practice and exposure to real-life conversations, you can quickly become proficient in using personal pronouns accurately.