Indirect-object pronouns in European Portuguese — me, te, lhe, nos, vos, lhes — follow exactly the same placement rules as direct-object pronouns. Enclise (after the verb, with a hyphen) is the default; próclise (before the verb, no hyphen) is forced by a short list of triggers; mesóclise (inside the verb) appears in the future and conditional when no próclise trigger is present. If you have already learned where o/a/os/as go, you know where me/te/lhe/nos/vos/lhes go. This page repeats the core rules with indirect-object examples, so you can solidify the pattern with dative clitics specifically, and it flags the few edges where indirect objects behave slightly differently — notably in compound tense structures, in clusters with direct-object pronouns, and in the impersonal dative constructions like dói-me, parece-me, apetece-me.
The default: enclise
In an affirmative declarative sentence, the indirect-object pronoun attaches after the verb with a hyphen.
Disse-lhe a verdade ontem à noite.
I told him/her the truth last night.
Liguei-te para saber como estavas.
I called you to see how you were doing.
Ofereceram-nos um jantar no hotel.
They treated us to a dinner at the hotel.
Mandei-lhes uma mensagem pelo WhatsApp.
I sent them a message on WhatsApp.
A avó contou-me histórias ao deitar.
Grandma told me stories at bedtime.
Enclise is the spoken and written default of European Portuguese — and it is what most strongly distinguishes it from Brazilian Portuguese, which prefers próclise even in simple sentences.
Próclise: the five trigger groups
Certain words force the pronoun to move before the verb. When this happens, the hyphen disappears — the pronoun is simply a separate word before the verb. The five trigger groups are identical to those for direct-object pronouns.
Trigger 1: Negation
Any negative word — não, nunca, jamais, ninguém, nada, nenhum — pulls the pronoun in front.
Não me disse nada sobre o assunto.
He/she didn't tell me anything about it.
Nunca lhes pedi nada em troca.
I've never asked them for anything in return.
Ninguém te avisou da reunião?
Nobody warned you about the meeting?
Nada nos impressionou no filme.
Nothing impressed us in the movie.
Trigger 2: Question words
Interrogatives (quem, o que, que, qual, quando, onde, como, porquê, porque, quanto) force próclise.
Quem te disse isso?
Who told you that?
Quando lhe telefonaste?
When did you call him/her?
Como lhes vais explicar a situação?
How are you going to explain the situation to them?
Porque não me avisaste antes?
Why didn't you warn me beforehand?
Quanto te cobraram pelo trabalho?
How much did they charge you for the job?
Trigger 3: Subordinating conjunctions
Any clause introduced by a subordinator (que, porque, se, quando, enquanto, embora, para que, antes que, depois que, logo que, até que, apesar de, visto que, dado que, conforme) triggers próclise.
Ele disse que me ligava mais tarde.
He said he'd call me later.
Fiquei chateada porque não me convidaste.
I got upset because you didn't invite me.
Se lhe disseres, ele fica contente.
If you tell him, he'll be pleased.
Quando me viste pela primeira vez, o que pensaste?
When you first saw me, what did you think?
Embora te respeite, discordo completamente.
Although I respect you, I completely disagree.
Trigger 4: Proclitic adverbs
A closed list of adverbs triggers próclise: já, ainda, sempre, também, só, apenas, talvez, mesmo, até, bem, mal, pouco, muito, and a handful of others.
Já te disse que sim!
I already told you yes!
Ainda lhe devo dinheiro da última vez.
I still owe him/her money from last time.
Sempre me pediu a opinião antes de decidir.
He/she always asked me for my opinion before deciding.
Também nos convidaram para o casamento.
They invited us to the wedding too.
Talvez te telefone amanhã.
Maybe I'll call you tomorrow.
Só me lembro disso hoje.
I only remember that today.
Plain time and place adverbs (ontem, hoje, amanhã, aqui, ali, lá) do not trigger próclise:
Disse-me ontem que vinha. (ontem → no trigger → enclise stays)
He told me yesterday he was coming.
Já me disse ontem que vinha. (já → trigger → próclise)
He already told me yesterday that he was coming.
Trigger 5: Indefinite subjects
Indefinite pronoun subjects (alguém, ninguém, algum, todos, tudo, cada um, qualquer, poucos, muitos, outros) trigger próclise.
Alguém me ligou ontem mas não deixou recado.
Someone called me yesterday but didn't leave a message.
Todos lhe agradeceram a ajuda.
Everyone thanked him/her for the help.
Poucos te vão compreender sem explicação.
Few people will understand you without an explanation.
Cada um lhe deu um presente diferente.
Each of them gave him/her a different present.
Mesóclise in the future and conditional
In the future indicative and the conditional, when no próclise trigger is present, the pronoun slides into the middle of the verb — between the stem (which is the infinitive, sometimes with the -r dropped) and the ending (-ei, -ás, -á, -emos, -ão for the future; -ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -iam for the conditional). The whole structure is written with two hyphens.
Dir-te-ei tudo amanhã.
I'll tell you everything tomorrow. (future + mesóclise)
Dar-lhe-emos uma resposta na próxima semana.
We will give him/her an answer next week.
Ligar-te-ia se tivesse tempo.
I would call you if I had time. (conditional + mesóclise)
Falar-lhes-ei do projeto em breve.
I'll speak to them about the project soon.
Mandar-vos-íamos o convite, mas perdemos o contacto.
We would have sent you the invitation, but we lost touch.
Notice: the clitic contraction rules still apply to the stem if it ends in -r. Dizer + te + ei = dir-te-ei (not dizer-te-ei — the stem dizer also undergoes internal reduction to dir- in the future, following the irregular paradigm). Other verbs: fazer-te-ei → far-te-ei, trazer-te-ei → trar-te-ei.
When is mesóclise actually used?
Mesóclise is a formal-to-literary register. It appears in:
- Written journalism (editorials, formal reporting, legal briefs)
- Government and administrative documents
- Formal speeches and literature
- Polished formal writing
In everyday spoken Portuguese, speakers avoid mesóclise by using the periphrastic future (ir + infinitive) or the conditional periphrasis (ia + infinitive). This shifts the clitic to the infinitive, where it attaches normally.
Formal written: Contar-te-ei tudo assim que souber.
I'll tell you everything as soon as I know. (mesóclise)
Spoken equivalent: Vou contar-te tudo assim que souber.
I'm going to tell you everything as soon as I know. (periphrastic future — clitic on infinitive)
Formal conditional: Dir-lhe-ia a verdade se pudesse.
I would tell him/her the truth if I could.
Spoken equivalent: Dizia-lhe a verdade se pudesse. / Ia dizer-lhe a verdade.
I'd tell him/her the truth if I could.
Compound tenses: clitic on the auxiliary
In compound tenses (ter/haver + past participle), the indirect-object pronoun attaches to the auxiliary, never the participle. The enclise/próclise rules decide the direction; the participle is inert.
Tinha-lhe prometido vir mais cedo.
I had promised him/her I'd come earlier.
Já te tinha dito isso há muito tempo.
I had already told you that a long time ago. (já → próclise, on the auxiliary)
Não lhes tenho escrito ultimamente.
I haven't been writing to them lately.
Temos-te ligado várias vezes.
We've been calling you several times.
Ter-lhe-ia contado se soubesse antes.
I would have told him/her if I'd known earlier. (conditional perfect + mesóclise)
Placement with infinitives and gerunds
When the main verb is in the infinitive (after a modal or preposition) or the gerund (though EP rarely uses gerunds outside of set constructions), the pronoun typically attaches to the non-finite form. However, clitic climbing — moving the pronoun to the conjugated verb — is also common, especially in formal written Portuguese.
With modal verbs
Posso ajudar-te com isso? (clitic on infinitive, enclise)
Can I help you with that?
Posso-te ajudar? (clitic climbs to modal, rare in casual speech)
Can I help you? (climbed — more formal)
Queria dizer-lhe uma coisa.
I wanted to tell you something. (polite register)
Preciso de lhe explicar a situação.
I need to explain the situation to you. (note: 'precisar de' governs the infinitive)
Clitic climbing with próclise triggers
When the finite verb is triggered by próclise (não, já, question word, etc.), the clitic climbs to attach before the finite verb:
Não te posso ajudar agora. (climbed + próclise)
I can't help you right now.
Não posso ajudar-te agora. (non-climbed; still grammatical)
I can't help you right now. (same meaning)
Já lhe quero dar uma resposta definitiva.
I already want to give him/her a definitive answer. (climbed)
Quem te quer falar é o diretor. (climbed)
The person who wants to speak to you is the director.
Both variants are correct in EP. Clitic climbing in próclise is slightly more formal; clitic staying on the infinitive is more colloquial.
With the EP progressive: estar a + infinitive
European Portuguese expresses progressive aspect with estar a + infinitive (not the gerund, as Brazilian Portuguese does). The clitic attaches to the infinitive.
Estou a escrever-lhe uma carta.
I'm writing him/her a letter.
Estou a dizer-te a verdade.
I'm telling you the truth.
Não lhe estou a mentir. (clitic climbs to auxiliary because of próclise trigger)
I'm not lying to him/her.
Imperatives
Affirmative imperative: enclise
Diz-me tudo!
Tell me everything!
Traz-me um café, por favor.
Bring me a coffee, please.
Dê-lhe o meu recado, por favor. (formal)
Give him/her my message, please.
Emprestem-nos o carro para o fim de semana.
Lend us the car for the weekend.
Negative imperative: próclise (triggered by não)
Não me digas isso!
Don't tell me that!
Não lhe contes ainda — quero fazer uma surpresa.
Don't tell him/her yet — I want to make it a surprise.
Não nos mandem relatórios por email; preferimos em papel.
Don't send us reports by email; we prefer paper.
Impersonal dative verbs: dói-me, apetece-me, parece-me
A subclass of verbs that take only a dative argument and an inanimate subject — doer, apetecer, parecer, custar, faltar, bastar, convir — follow the same placement rules. Since these verbs often begin sentences with the dative clitic (Portuguese lets you drop the subject), placement feels natural.
Dói-me a cabeça.
My head hurts.
Apetece-te ir ao cinema?
Do you feel like going to the movies?
Parece-me uma boa ideia.
It seems like a good idea to me.
Não me apetece sair hoje.
I don't feel like going out today. (próclise after não)
Sempre me pareceu estranho aquele comportamento.
That behaviour always seemed strange to me. (próclise after sempre)
Quando me apetecer, vou ao café.
When I feel like it, I'll go to the café. (subordinator + próclise)
Placement with clitic clusters (direct + indirect together)
When you have both a direct-object and an indirect-object clitic (the contracted forms mo, to, lho, no-lo, vo-lo, lho), the placement rules apply to the whole cluster — the cluster moves as a unit.
Ela deu-mo ontem. (enclise, default)
She gave it to me yesterday.
Ela não mo deu ontem. (próclise after não)
She didn't give it to me yesterday.
Quem to disse? (próclise after question word)
Who told you that?
Já lho expliquei várias vezes. (próclise after já)
I've already explained it to him/her several times.
Dar-mo-ia se pudesse. (mesóclise in conditional)
He/she would give it to me if he/she could.
The cluster does not split — you cannot say "Dei-lho o livro" with the cluster in enclise and the pronoun climbing — it is either "Deu-mo" or "Não mo deu".
Comparison table: the same rules for all clitics
| Context | Direct object (o, a) | Indirect object (lhe) |
|---|---|---|
| Simple affirmative | Vi-o. | Disse-lhe. |
| Negation | Não o vi. | Não lhe disse. |
| Question word | Quem o viu? | Quem lhe disse? |
| Subordinator | Acho que o vi. | Acho que lhe disse. |
| Proclitic adverb | Já o vi. | Já lhe disse. |
| Indefinite subject | Alguém o viu. | Alguém lhe disse. |
| Future (no trigger) | Vê-lo-ei. | Dir-lhe-ei. |
| Future (with trigger) | Não o verei. | Não lhe direi. |
| Compound | Tenho-o visto. | Tenho-lhe dito. |
| Affirmative imperative | Vê-o! | Diz-lhe! |
| Negative imperative | Não o vejas. | Não lhe digas. |
This is the magic: once you know the placement rules for one clitic, they apply to all clitics. No new rules for indirect objects.
Register notes
- Enclise is the everyday default in all registers of European Portuguese.
- Próclise is mechanical, triggered by specific words; it is not a register marker.
- Mesóclise is marked formal and in most conversational contexts is replaced by periphrastic constructions.
- Clitic climbing (with modals + infinitives) tilts slightly formal when used in próclise environments; in enclise it's neutral.
The Brazilian contrast
Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese part company sharply here:
- Spoken Brazilian Portuguese prefers próclise in all contexts, including simple affirmatives: "Eu te disse" instead of "Disse-te", "Eu lhe falei" instead of "Falei-lhe".
- Mesóclise is virtually extinct in Brazilian Portuguese speech; even many Brazilians would struggle to produce dir-te-ei spontaneously.
- Clitic climbing is rarer in Brazilian Portuguese, which tends to leave the clitic on the infinitive.
EP: Disse-lhe ontem. / BP: Eu falei pra ele ontem. (often with 'pra ele' instead of clitic)
I told him yesterday.
EP: Dir-lhe-ei amanhã. / BP: Vou falar pra ele amanhã.
I'll tell him tomorrow.
Common mistakes
❌ Eu lhe disse ontem. (BP-style próclise without trigger)
Incorrect in European Portuguese — the default is enclise: 'Disse-lhe ontem.'
✅ Disse-lhe ontem.
I told him/her yesterday.
❌ Não disse-lhe nada. (enclise after não)
Incorrect — 'não' triggers próclise. The pronoun must move forward: 'Não lhe disse nada.'
✅ Não lhe disse nada.
I didn't tell him/her anything.
❌ Ela disse que telefonou-me. (enclise inside a 'que' clause)
Incorrect — 'que' triggers próclise: 'Ela disse que me telefonou.'
✅ Ela disse que me telefonou.
She said she called me.
❌ Já liguei-te. (enclise with já)
Incorrect — 'já' triggers próclise: 'Já te liguei.'
✅ Já te liguei.
I've already called you.
❌ Dirá-me a verdade. (enclise in future with no trigger)
Incorrect — future with no trigger requires mesóclise: 'Dir-me-á a verdade.' Or rephrase: 'Vai dizer-me a verdade.'
✅ Dir-me-á a verdade. / Vai dizer-me a verdade.
He/she will tell me the truth.
❌ Quem disse-te isso? (enclise after interrogative)
Incorrect — 'quem' triggers próclise: 'Quem te disse isso?'
✅ Quem te disse isso?
Who told you that?
❌ Posso-lhe ajudar? (wrong — ajudar takes direct, not dative)
'Ajudar' governs a direct object in Portuguese: use 'ajudá-lo' (or, with climbing + próclise: 'não o posso ajudar').
✅ Posso ajudá-lo? / Posso-o ajudar?
Can I help you?
❌ Não lhes disse-a verdade. (didn't combine — wrong cluster)
If both pronouns are used, they contract: 'Não lha disse' (= lhes + a → lha).
✅ Não lha disse. (or: Não lhes disse a verdade.)
I didn't tell it to them. / I didn't tell them the truth.
Key takeaways
- Indirect-object pronouns follow the same placement rules as direct-object pronouns: enclise by default, próclise with triggers, mesóclise in the future/conditional.
- Próclise triggers: negation, question words, subordinating conjunctions, proclitic adverbs (já, ainda, sempre, também, só, talvez…), indefinite subjects.
- In compound tenses, the clitic attaches to the auxiliary ter/haver, not the participle.
- With infinitives and gerunds, the clitic attaches to the non-finite form, though clitic climbing is common and required when próclise triggers apply to the finite verb.
- Mesóclise is formal and usually avoided in speech via the periphrastic future (vou dizer-te) or conditional (ia dizer-te).
- Imperative: enclise in affirmative, próclise in negative.
- Clitic clusters (mo, to, lho) move as a unit, following the same rules.
- Brazilian Portuguese prefers próclise in all contexts and avoids mesóclise entirely — the European default is very different.
Related Topics
- Indirect Object Pronouns (Me, Te, Lhe, Nos, Vos, Lhes)A2 — The pronouns that replace the indirect object in European Portuguese — the person or entity to whom or for whom the action is done
- Direct Object Pronoun PlacementA2 — Where to place direct object pronouns (o, a, os, as, me, te, nos, vos) in the European Portuguese sentence — enclise, próclise, and mesóclise
- Combining Direct and Indirect Object PronounsB1 — Mo, to, lho, no-lo, vo-lo — how European Portuguese fuses two object pronouns into single contracted forms
- Ênclise (Pronoun After Verb)A2 — The default position of object pronouns in European Portuguese — attached to the verb with a hyphen
- Próclise (Pronoun Before Verb)B1 — When the object pronoun moves before the verb in European Portuguese, triggered by specific words and structures
- Próclise Triggers — Complete ListB1 — The complete catalogue of words and structures that force the pronoun before the verb in European Portuguese
- Mesóclise (Pronoun Inside the Verb)B2 — Placing the pronoun between the stem and the ending of the future indicative and conditional tenses