Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.

Breakdown of Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.

eu
I
todos os dias
every day
ver
to see
na
at the
a escola
the school
a
her
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Questions & Answers about Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.

What does the a in Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias mean?

The a is a direct object pronoun meaning her.

So the sentence is literally:

  • Eu = I
  • a = her
  • vejo = see
  • na escola = at school
  • todos os dias = every day

Together: I see her at school every day.

The a refers to a previously known female person (or sometimes a feminine thing).


Why is it a and not ela for “her”?

Portuguese has two kinds of pronouns for third person:

  1. Unstressed object pronouns (clitics), used directly with verbs:

    • o = him/it (masc.)
    • a = her/it (fem.)
    • os = them (masc.)
    • as = them (fem.)
  2. Stressed pronouns, used mainly after prepositions or as emphatic forms:

    • ele = he / him
    • ela = she / her
    • eles = they / them (masc.)
    • elas = they / them (fem.)

In standard, more formal Portuguese, with the verb ver, you use a direct object pronoun, so:

  • Eu a vejo. = I see her.
    but not
  • Eu vejo ela. (this is very common in speech, but considered non‑standard in conservative grammar)

So:

  • a is the “grammatically correct” direct object pronoun.
  • ela is the everyday spoken choice for many Brazilians in this position.

Is Eu vejo ela na escola todos os dias wrong?

It depends on what you mean by “wrong”:

  • In real spoken Brazilian Portuguese:
    Eu vejo ela na escola todos os dias is very common and completely natural.

  • In traditional school grammar / very formal writing:
    teachers and grammar books will usually prefer Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.

So you can think of it like this:

  • Formal / textbook style: Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.
  • Typical spoken Brazilian style: Eu vejo ela na escola todos os dias.

Both will be understood; the first just sounds more “bookish”.


What exactly is the function of a here? Is it like the article a in a escola?

No. There are two different words spelled a:

  1. a = direct object pronoun (in the sentence)

    • Meaning: her / it (feminine)
    • Function: replaces a direct object noun
    • Example:
      • Eu a vejo. = I see her.
  2. a = definite article (feminine “the”)

    • Example:
      • a escola = the school

In Eu a vejo na escola, the first a is a pronoun, and the one inside na (em + a) is an article.

They sound the same, but their roles in the sentence are different.


Could the pronoun go after the verb, like Eu vejo-a na escola?

Grammatically, yes, this is called enclisis (pronoun attached after the verb). In practice:

  • In Brazilian Portuguese today:

    • Eu a vejo na escola. (proclisis – before the verb)
      → sounds formal but still natural.
    • Eu vejo-a na escola.
      → sounds very formal / literary and often European to Brazilian ears.
  • In European Portuguese (Portugal), forms like vejo-a are much more common and natural, especially without the subject pronoun:

    • Vejo-a na escola todos os dias.

In Brazil, pronouns usually go before the verb in normal speech:
Eu te amo, Eu a vejo, Eu o conheço, etc.


Why is the pronoun before the verb here, if many grammar books show it after the verb?

Traditional Portuguese grammar tends to favor:

  • Enclisis (after the verb) in neutral sentences:
    • Vejo-a na escola.

But modern Brazilian Portuguese strongly prefers proclisis (before the verb):

  • Eu a vejo na escola.
  • Eu te amo.
  • Eu o conheço.

So you may see vejo-a in older or European‑oriented materials, but Brazilians typically say and write a vejo, te amo, o conheço, etc., especially when the subject pronoun (eu) is present.

For Brazilian usage, it’s good to be comfortable with both, but use proclisis as your default.


Can I omit Eu and just say A vejo na escola todos os dias?

Yes, grammatically that is possible:

  • A vejo na escola todos os dias.
    = I see her at school every day.

However:

  • In Brazilian Portuguese, starting a sentence with a clitic pronoun like a, o, te, etc., often sounds formal, literary, or European.
  • In everyday Brazilian speech, people are more likely to say:
    • Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias. (formal-ish)
      or
    • Eu vejo ela na escola todos os dias. (very common)

So A vejo na escola... is correct but stylistically quite formal in Brazil.


What does na mean, and how is it formed?

Na is a contraction:

  • em (in / on / at) + a (feminine singular definite article “the”)
    em ana

So:

  • na escola = em + a escola = at the school / in the school

Similarly:

  • no = em + o (masc. singular)
  • nas = em + as (fem. plural)
  • nos = em + os (masc. plural)

Why is it na escola and not no escola?

Because escola is a feminine noun:

  • a escola = the school → feminine
  • na escola = in/at the school (em + a)

If the noun were masculine, you would use no:

  • o colégio = the (high) school
  • no colégio = at the (high) school

So the article inside the contraction must agree in gender with the noun:

  • Feminine: a escola → na escola
  • Masculine: o colégio → no colégio

How flexible is the word order? Can I move todos os dias or na escola?

Yes, Portuguese allows some flexibility. All of these are possible and natural:

  • Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.
  • Eu a vejo todos os dias na escola.
  • Todos os dias eu a vejo na escola.
  • Na escola eu a vejo todos os dias.

The basic meaning stays the same, but the emphasis shifts:

  • Starting with Todos os dias emphasizes frequency.
  • Starting with Na escola emphasizes the place.

What usually stays together is [pronoun] + [verb]:

  • Eu a vejo
  • Eu a vejo na escola…
  • Todos os dias eu a vejo…

You normally wouldn’t split those two in the middle, e.g.
Eu a na escola vejo is wrong.


If I change a to o, what does the sentence mean?
  • Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.
    → I see her at school every day.

  • Eu o vejo na escola todos os dias.
    → I see him (or a masculine “it”) at school every day.

The pattern:

  • o = him / it (masc.)
  • a = her / it (fem.)
  • os = them (masc. or mixed group)
  • as = them (fem.)

Examples:

  • Eu os vejo na escola. = I see them (masc./mixed) at school.
  • Eu as vejo na escola. = I see them (fem.) at school.

How would I say “I don’t see her at school every day”? Where does não go?

With clitic pronouns, não usually comes before the pronoun:

  • Eu não a vejo na escola todos os dias.
  • Não a vejo na escola todos os dias. (subject omitted)

In very common spoken Brazilian Portuguese, you’ll also hear:

  • Eu não vejo ela na escola todos os dias.

So for the standard clitic version:

  • Affirmative: Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.
  • Negative: Eu não a vejo na escola todos os dias.

Structure: [Eu] + não + a + vejo + ...


Why don’t we use lhe here, like Eu lhe vejo?

Because lhe is normally an indirect object pronoun (to him / to her), and the verb ver does not take an indirect object:

  • ver alguém = to see someone → direct object

So:

  • Correct (formal/clitic):
    • Eu a vejo. = I see her.
  • Incorrect:
    • Eu lhe vejo. (sounds wrong to most speakers in this sense)

You would use lhe with verbs that take an indirect object, like:

  • dar algo a alguém (to give something to someone)
    • Eu lhe dou o livro. = I give him/her the book.

But ver just takes a direct object, so you use a / o / as / os (or ela / ele / elas / eles in spoken style).


Why is there no preposition a before the person, like in Spanish veo a ella?

Spanish uses a “personal a” before direct objects that are people:

  • Spanish: Veo a ella. / Veo a María.

Portuguese does not do this in the same way. With ver in Portuguese:

  • Eu a vejo. (or Eu vejo ela.)
  • Eu vejo a Maria.

Here, the a before Maria is just the definite article (the), not a special personal a.

So:

  • Portuguese: Eu vejo Maria. / Eu vejo a Maria.
  • Spanish: Veo a María.

The idea of a mandatory personal preposition “a” before human direct objects is Spanish, not Portuguese.