Breakdown of Ela ainda não recebeu o convite, então vou entregá-lo hoje.
eu
I
não
not
hoje
today
ir
to go (future auxiliary)
então
so
ela
she
o
it
receber
to receive
o convite
the invitation
ainda
yet
entregar
to deliver
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Questions & Answers about Ela ainda não recebeu o convite, então vou entregá-lo hoje.
Why is there a hyphen and an accent in entregá-lo?
Because a clitic object pronoun is being attached to the infinitive. In Portuguese, when you attach o/a/os/as to an infinitive:
- If the verb ends in -r, -s, or -z, you drop that final letter and change the pronoun to -lo, -la, -los, -las.
- You add a written accent if needed to keep the original stress of the verb. So entregar + o becomes entregá-lo (drop the final r, add -lo, and add an accent to preserve the stress on -gá-).
Why -lo and not just -o in entregá-lo?
Because the verb entregar ends in -r. With verbs ending in -r, -s, -z, object pronouns o/a/os/as change to lo/la/los/las when attached:
- fazer + o → fazê-lo
- dizer + os → dizê-los
- usar + a → usá-la If the verb ended in another sound, the form might be different (see further below).
Could I just say vou entregar o convite hoje instead of using the pronoun?
Yes, and in Brazilian Portuguese that’s often the most natural choice. Using the full noun (o convite) is very common in speech: Vou entregar o convite hoje.
Is vou entregar ele hoje acceptable?
In everyday Brazilian speech, yes—you’ll often hear vou entregar ele hoje. In formal/written Portuguese, this is discouraged; you’re expected to use a clitic (vou entregá-lo) or repeat the noun (vou entregar o convite).
Can I put the pronoun before vou (e.g., vou o entregar, o vou entregar)?
In Brazil, it’s far more natural to attach the pronoun to the infinitive: vou entregá-lo. Forms like vou o entregar or o vou entregar sound European/formal and are uncommon in Brazilian usage.
Why is it ainda não and not não ainda?
The standard way to say not yet is ainda não. You can also place ainda later: Não recebeu ainda. But não ainda (as a unit) is not idiomatic.
Why use recebeu here and not a present perfect like tem recebido?
Portuguese uses the simple past (pretérito perfeito) for single completed events up to now, even with the idea of “not yet”: ainda não recebeu ≈ “hasn’t received yet.” The present perfect (tem recebido) usually means “has been receiving” (repeated/ongoing actions), which doesn’t fit here.
How would I say “deliver it to her” explicitly?
Several natural options in Brazil:
- Keep the direct object as a pronoun and name the recipient: Vou entregá-lo a ela hoje / Vou entregá-lo para ela hoje.
- Use an indirect object pronoun with the full noun: Vou lhe entregar o convite hoje (more formal; lhe is less common in speech). Avoid stacking clitics like entregá-lo-lhe in Brazilian usage; it sounds very formal/unnatural.
Why is there a comma before então?
Então is a coordinating conjunction meaning “so/therefore” linking two independent clauses, so a comma is standard. You can also start a new sentence: Ela ainda não recebeu o convite. Então, vou entregá-lo hoje.
Can I move hoje to another position?
Yes. Common placements:
- Vou entregá-lo hoje (neutral)
- Hoje vou entregá-lo (emphasis on “today”)
- Vou hoje entregá-lo (possible but more formal-sounding)
Could I replace então with other words?
Yes, depending on tone:
- Neutral/causal: por isso
- Very colloquial: daí
- More formal: logo Example: ..., por isso vou entregá-lo hoje.
Why o convite with the definite article?
Because it refers to a specific, known invitation. If you meant an unspecified one, you’d use um convite. Bare nouns without an article are uncommon here.
If I replace o convite with a pronoun earlier in the sentence, where does it go with não?
Negation triggers pronoun-before-verb (proclisis). So:
- Ela ainda não o recebeu. But with a full noun: Ela ainda não recebeu o convite.
Could I use the simple future (entregarei) instead of vou entregar?
Yes, but in Brazilian Portuguese the periphrastic future (vou + infinitive) is far more common. With the simple future, very formal grammar allows mesoclisis: entregá-lo-ei, which sounds overly formal in Brazil. Most speakers would stick to vou entregá-lo.
Why not entregá-la or entregá-los?
The attached pronoun agrees with the gender/number of the noun it replaces. Convite is masculine singular, so you use -lo. If it were feminine singular (a mensagem), you’d have enviá-la; if plural masculine (os convites), entregá-los.
What happens if the verb doesn’t end in -r, -s, -z when I attach o/a/os/as?
- If the verb ends in -m, -ão, -õe, the pronouns become -no, -na, -nos, -nas:
deram + o → deram-no, põem + a → põem-na. - Otherwise, you generally keep -o/-a/-os/-as:
vi + o → vi-o (in writing; in Brazil this is formal—people often avoid it in speech).
Is there any nuance difference between entregar and dar here?
Yes. Entregar emphasizes handing over/delivering something, often something expected or scheduled (documents, packages, invitations). Dar is more general “to give.” In this context, entregar fits better because it suggests the act of delivery.