When a sentence has a plural subject, the reflexive pronoun can mean each other instead of themselves. This is the reciprocal use of the reflexive — the action travels back and forth between two or more people rather than back onto a single doer. English needs an extra phrase ("each other," "one another") to say this; Portuguese just reuses the reflexive pronoun it already has.
The core idea
A true reflexive sends the action back onto the same subject: Ele se cortou (He cut himself). A reciprocal sends the action between members of a plural subject: Eles se cortaram can mean They cut each other. The pronoun is identical — what changes is that the subject is plural and the people in it act on one another.
Because the subject must be plural for there to be reciprocity, you only ever see reciprocal meaning with se (they / you all), nos (we), and the colloquial a gente (which is grammatically singular but means "we").
Eles se beijaram no fim do filme.
They kissed (each other) at the end of the movie.
Nós nos abraçamos quando ela chegou.
We hugged (each other) when she arrived.
As duas irmãs se odeiam, mas moram juntas.
The two sisters hate each other, but they live together.
Why the same pronoun does both jobs
English keeps themselves and each other strictly apart, so it feels strange that Portuguese collapses them. The underlying logic is that both meanings share one property: the subject and the object are the same set of people. In They washed themselves, each person washes their own body. In They washed each other, the washing crosses over. Portuguese treats "the doers and the receivers are the same group" as a single grammatical situation and marks it with the reflexive. Context — and common sense — sorts out which reading is intended. You do not normally kiss yourself, so Eles se beijaram is automatically reciprocal.
Os jogadores se cumprimentaram antes da partida.
The players greeted one another before the match.
A gente se conhece desde a escola.
We've known each other since school.
Notice that last sentence: a gente ("we," literally "the people") takes a singular verb (conhece, not conhecem) and the reflexive pronoun se — never nos. This is one of the most common ways Brazilians express reciprocity in everyday speech.
Making it unambiguous: um ao outro, mutuamente
When a sentence could be read either way — themselves or each other — Portuguese adds um ao outro (one to the other), um do outro, or the adverb mutuamente to force the reciprocal reading. The exact form of um _ outro depends on the preposition the verb takes.
| Pattern | Used with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| um ao outro | verbs with a / direct objects | ajudar um ao outro (help each other) |
| um do outro | verbs with de | gostar um do outro (like each other) |
| um com o outro | verbs with com | falar um com o outro (talk to each other) |
| mutuamente | any verb (more formal) | respeitar-se mutuamente (respect one another) |
Eles se ajudam um ao outro nos momentos difíceis.
They help each other in hard times.
Os dois sócios desconfiavam um do outro.
The two business partners distrusted each other.
Os países se comprometeram a respeitar mutuamente suas fronteiras.
The countries committed to mutually respecting each other's borders. (formal)
For a group of three or more, uns aos outros is the plural version, though it is heavier and many speakers leave it out when context is clear.
A gente se fala — the fossilized goodbye
Here is the insight that makes this page worth reading. In Brazil, several reciprocal phrases have hardened into fixed parting expressions, used the way English uses "we'll be in touch" or "see you around." They are spoken with present-tense verbs but understood as friendly promises about the future.
Então tá, a gente se fala!
Okay then, we'll talk! / we'll be in touch!
Foi ótimo te ver. A gente se vê!
It was great to see you. See you around!
Manda mensagem quando chegar. A gente se fala, beleza?
Text me when you get there. We'll talk, okay?
Literally, a gente se fala is "we talk to each other," but no Brazilian hears it as a statement about your current calling habits. It is a soft, warm way to end a conversation without committing to a specific plan — much like "let's catch up sometime." A gente se vê ("we see each other") works the same way as a casual "see you." Learn these as whole units; do not try to build them word by word in the moment.
Beijo, querida, a gente se vê na festa!
Bye, dear, see you at the party!
Reciprocity across tenses
The reciprocal works in every tense — only the verb changes, and the pronoun stays glued to its subject.
| Tense | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Nós nos vemos toda semana. | We see each other every week. |
| Preterite | Eles se conheceram em Salvador. | They met (each other) in Salvador. |
| Imperfect | A gente se escrevia todo dia. | We used to write to each other every day. |
| Future | Nós nos encontraremos amanhã. | We will meet (each other) tomorrow. (formal) |
Os dois se conheceram num casamento e nunca mais se largaram.
The two met at a wedding and never let go of each other again.
In informal Brazilian speech, the nos pronoun is often dropped entirely, especially after a gente takes over for nós. So instead of Nós nos encontramos amanhã many speakers simply say A gente se encontra amanhã. (informal)
Common mistakes
❌ Eles beijaram no fim do filme.
Incorrect — without 'se' this means they kissed someone/something else, not each other.
✅ Eles se beijaram no fim do filme.
They kissed (each other) at the end of the movie.
English speakers forget the pronoun because English buries "each other" in a separate word. In Portuguese the reciprocity lives inside the verb phrase via se; drop it and the sentence changes meaning.
❌ A gente se falamos amanhã.
Incorrect — 'a gente' takes a singular verb, not the nós ending.
✅ A gente se fala amanhã.
We'll talk tomorrow.
❌ Nós se vemos toda semana.
Incorrect — 'nós' needs the matching pronoun 'nos', not 'se'.
✅ Nós nos vemos toda semana.
We see each other every week.
The pronoun must agree with the subject: nós → nos, eles/vocês → se, a gente → se. Using se with nós is a classic transfer slip from learners who treat se as an all-purpose reflexive.
❌ Eles se ajudam cada outro.
Incorrect — 'cada outro' is a calque of 'each other' and does not exist in Portuguese.
✅ Eles se ajudam um ao outro.
They help each other.
There is no word-for-word "each other" in Portuguese. The fixed expression is um ao outro (matching the verb's preposition), never cada outro.
❌ A gente se vê — meaning literally 'we are looking at ourselves right now'.
Misreading — in a goodbye, this is the fixed phrase 'see you', not a literal statement.
✅ A gente se vê! (as a parting phrase)
See you around!
Don't over-analyze the fossilized goodbyes. A gente se fala and a gente se vê are idioms; translate them as "we'll talk" / "see you," not literally.
Now practice Portuguese
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- Reflexive Verbs: OverviewA2 — An introduction to Portuguese reflexive (pronominal) verbs — true reflexives, reciprocals, and lexicalized se-verbs — plus the BR drift toward dropping the pronoun.
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