{"id":61195,"date":"2024-02-06T14:30:38","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T19:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/portuguese-pronouns\/"},"modified":"2025-02-04T09:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T14:00:09","slug":"portuguese-pronouns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/portuguese\/portuguese-pronouns\/","title":{"rendered":"The Complete Guide to Portuguese Pronouns"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Portuguese, there are many types of pronouns, from Portuguese personal pronouns like direct or indirect object pronouns to indefinite and possessive pronouns.<\/p>\n

Whether you need to describe something<\/a> you own, talk about a friend or express an opinion, you’ll encounter Portuguese pronouns everywhere. Let me teach you the most important Portuguese pronouns<\/strong> as well as how to use them with example sentences.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc skip=4]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Portuguese Personal Pronouns<\/h2>\n

In Portuguese, there are five kinds of personal pronouns (pronomes pessoais):<\/em> subject, reflexive, direct object, indirect object and prepositional.<\/p>\n

Subject Pronouns<\/h3>\n

Subject pronouns (pronomes subjetivos)<\/em> are those that are used as the subject of a verb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Portuguese<\/strong><\/th>English<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Eu<\/em><\/strong><\/td>I\/Me<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voc\u00ea\/Tu<\/em><\/strong>
\n
\nO senhor\/A senhora<\/em><\/strong><\/td>		You (singular)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ele\/Ela<\/em><\/strong><\/td>He\/She<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
N\u00f3s\/A gente<\/em><\/strong><\/td>We\/Us<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
V\u00f3s\/Voc\u00eas<\/em><\/strong><\/td>You (plural)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Eles\/Elas<\/em><\/strong><\/td>They <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Eu<\/em><\/h4>\n

Eu<\/em> is the only word you use to say “I” in Portuguese. It’s the same for both a man and a woman and is in the first person. Here’s an example of how you’d use it:<\/p>\n

Eu<\/strong> tenho fome.<\/em> \u2014 I’m hungry.<\/p>\n

Tu<\/em><\/h4>\n

It’s important to know that there are different ways of saying “you” depending on which dialect (Brazilian or European<\/a>) you’re learning.<\/p>\n

Tu<\/em> is one of two main ways to say “you” in Portuguese.<\/p>\n

How and how often\u00a0tu<\/em> is used depends on where you are.<\/strong> In Brazil, the informal “you” is voc\u00ea;<\/em>\u00a0tu<\/em> is viewed as formal by some people, but in some areas in northeastern and southern Brazil, it’s used casually. When used, the verb that precedes it is often conjugated in the same way as voc\u00ea, <\/em>which follows the same conjugation rules as the third person singular (he\/she\/it).<\/p>\n

Tu<\/strong> t\u00e1 me entendendo?<\/em> \u2014 Do you understand me? (A Brazilian person, using tu <\/em>very informally)<\/p>\n

In Portugal<\/a>, tu<\/em> is the colloquial form of “you” and voc\u00ea<\/em> is formal. People are more likely to use tu<\/em> when speaking to a younger person or someone they’re more familiar with:<\/p>\n

Tu<\/strong> est\u00e1s feliz?<\/em> \u2014 Are you happy? (Portugal)<\/p>\n

Voc\u00ea<\/em><\/h4>\n

The other common way to say “you” is\u00a0voc\u00ea,<\/em> or its plural equivalent\u00a0voc\u00eas.\u00a0<\/em>Again, where you are in the world affects how voc\u00ea<\/em>\u00a0is used.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Brazil<\/a>, this form is extremely common and is used in everyday conversation.<\/p>\n

Voc\u00ea<\/strong> quer alguma coisa?<\/em> \u2014 Would you like something? (Brazil)<\/p>\n

In Portugal,\u00a0voc<\/em>\u00ea <\/em>is used more formally, such as when you speak to someone who’s older than you. Note that, while voc\u00ea <\/em>means “you,” it’s used with the third-person singular form of the verb. So instead of saying, voc\u00ea tens<\/em> (you have) with the second-person singular form of the verb, which is incorrect, you’d say, voc\u00ea tem<\/em>\u00a0(you have).<\/p>\n

O senhor<\/em> and a\u00a0senhora<\/em><\/h4>\n

If you want to take it a step further and show respect for your elders,<\/strong>\u00a0you can use\u00a0o senhor<\/em> (sir) or a senhora<\/em> (miss). O senhor<\/em> and a senhora<\/em>\u00a0are formal ways of addressing someone of a higher rank, authority or prestige in Brazil. You use these words in place of “you,” but pair them with the third-person singular verb. For example:<\/p>\n

A senhora<\/strong> pode me ajudar?<\/em> \u2014 Could you help me?<\/p>\n

A senhora<\/strong> gostaria\u00a0de sentar\u00a0aqui?<\/em> \u2014 Would you [formal] like to sit here?<\/p>\n

Ele<\/em>\u00a0and ela<\/em><\/h4>\n

If you’re referencing a masculine noun, you can use the word\u00a0ele<\/em>\u00a0and if you’re referring to a feminine one, use ela.<\/em>\u00a0<\/i>These are singular:<\/p>\n

Ele<\/strong> \u00e9 alto.<\/em> \u2014 He’s tall.<\/p>\n

Ela<\/strong> pensou que a festa ia ser hoje.<\/em> \u2014 She thought the party would be today.<\/p>\n

N\u00f3s\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0a gente<\/em><\/h4>\n

N\u00f3s<\/em> is the most common form of “we”\/\u201cus” used in both Portuguese dialects, while a\u00a0gente<\/em><\/a> (literally, “the people”) is a colloquial Brazilian Portuguese way of saying “we”\/\u201cus.” (Note that the verb that follows a gente <\/em>is conjugated in the first person singular.)<\/p>\n

N\u00f3s<\/strong> estamos na praia.<\/em> \u2014 We’re at the beach.<\/p>\n

N\u00f3s<\/strong> vamos?<\/em> \u2014 Are we going?<\/p>\n

A gente<\/strong> vai?<\/em> \u2014 Are we going?<\/p>\n

A gente<\/strong> vai falar com a professora.<\/em> \u2014 We’re going to talk to the teacher.<\/p>\n

V\u00f3s<\/em><\/h4>\n

The pronoun v\u00f3s<\/em><\/strong> isn’t used very much<\/a>\u00a0these days, but it’s still important to know. It’s considered more formal and archaic,<\/strong> but there are people in northern Portugal and northeastern Brazil that might use it.<\/p>\n

V\u00f3s<\/strong> falastes com ele?<\/em> \u2014 Have you all\/you guys talked to him? (Portugal)<\/p>\n

You’re more likely to read v\u00f3s<\/em> in old texts or historical fiction.<\/p>\n

Eles<\/em> and elas<\/em><\/h4>\n

To refer to a group of women or a plural noun that’s feminine, you use e<\/em>las.\u00a0<\/i>When referring to a plural number of a masculine noun, use\u00a0eles.<\/i> If you’re\u00a0referring to a group of both men and women, use\u00a0eles\u00a0<\/i>as well.<\/p>\n

Here are some examples of these pronouns in use:<\/p>\n

Eles<\/strong> est\u00e3o correndo bem r\u00e1pido.<\/em> \u2014 They’re [mas. or mixed] running very fast.<\/p>\n

Elas<\/strong> querem festejar!<\/em> \u2014 They [fem.] want to party!<\/p>\n

Review<\/h4>\n

Here’s a quick rundown of which “you” pronouns to use on what occasions and places:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t
Country<\/strong><\/th>\"You\" Pronouns<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Brazil<\/td>Informal:<\/strong> voc\u00ea<\/em>, voc\u00eas<\/em>
\n
\nFormal:<\/strong> tu<\/em>, v\u00f3s<\/em>, o senhor<\/em>, a senhora<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Portugal<\/td>Informal:<\/strong> tu<\/em>, voc\u00eas<\/em>
\n
\nFormal:<\/strong> voc\u00ea<\/em>, v\u00f3s<\/em>, o senhor<\/em>, a senhora<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Differences Between English and Portuguese Subject Pronouns<\/h4>\n

While the main principles of pronouns are the same in English and Portuguese, Portuguese pronouns function more similarly to Spanish pronouns. Here are the main differences between English and Portuguese pronouns:<\/p>\n