Pronoun placement

What you will practice

• Attach the pronoun after the verb in an affirmative sentence.
• Place the pronoun before the verb after não.
• Keep the hyphen in the European affirmative form.

Explanation

After the verb

An affirmative sentence uses enclisis. Digo-te a verdade means I tell you the truth. The pronoun te follows digo and takes a hyphen. Vejo-o means I see him, with o after the verb. Te digo a verdade puts the pronoun first. That order is not the European affirmative pattern this lesson marks as correct.

After não

Negation pulls the pronoun forward. There is no hyphen. Não te digo a verdade and Não o vejo. Não digo-te keeps the affirmative order after não, and that mix is wrong in the standard this lesson teaches. The negative word is what changes the place.

A Brazilian note

In Brazil, proclisis is common even in affirmative sentences, so Te digo appears in Brazilian writing. This lesson notes that difference and does not accept it as the answer. When the sentence is affirmative, write the hyphenated form. When the sentence has não, write the pronoun between não and the verb.

Examples

1. Digo-te a verdade.affirmative, to you
2. Vejo-o.affirmative, him
3. Não te digo a verdade.negative, to you
4. Não o vejo.negative, him
5. Dá-me o livro.the order this lesson rejects

Common mistakes

• Não digo-te mixes the two rules. After não, the pronoun comes first: Não te digo.
• The European affirmative form has a hyphen: Digo-te.