Breakdown of Eu os vejo na cidade todos os dias.
eu
I
na
in
a cidade
the city
todos os dias
every day
ver
to see
os
them
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Portuguese grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Eu os vejo na cidade todos os dias.
What is the function of os in the sentence “Eu os vejo na cidade todos os dias.”?
os is a third-person plural direct-object pronoun. It means “them” (referring to a masculine or mixed group of people or things) and replaces a plural noun already known from context.
Why is the clitic pronoun os placed before the verb vejo, and could I say vejo-os instead?
Portuguese clitics can go before the verb (proclisis) or attached after it (enclisis).
- Vejo-os (enclisis) is the formal, standard written order when there’s no clitic-attracting word in front.
- Os vejo (proclisis) is very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, especially after the subject pronoun eu. Both are grammatically correct.
How do I change os if “them” refers to an all-female group?
Use the feminine plural direct-object pronoun as.
For example: Eu as vejo na cidade todos os dias.
What is na in “na cidade,” and why don’t we write em a cidade?
na is the contraction of the preposition em (in) + the feminine singular article a (the).
Portuguese routinely contracts prepositions + articles:
- em + a → na
- em + o → no
Why do we say todos os dias instead of just todos dias?
When todos (all/every) modifies a plural noun, Portuguese normally inserts the definite article: todos os dias (“all the days”/“every day”). Omitting os is non-standard, though colloquially you might sometimes hear todo dia (singular) or todos dias.
Is the subject pronoun eu necessary in “Eu os vejo…”?
No. Portuguese is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -o in vejo already shows “I” as the subject. You can simply say Os vejo na cidade todos os dias. Including eu adds emphasis or clarity.
What tense is vejo, and how does it differ from estou vendo?
vejo is the simple present tense (presente do indicativo), used for habits or general truths: “I see them every day.”
estou vendo (estar + gerund) is the present continuous, used for actions happening right now: “I am seeing them [at this moment].” For a daily routine, vejo is preferred.