Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.

Unstressed object pronouns (clitics), used directly with verbs:
- o = him/it (masc.)
- a = her/it (fem.)
- os = them (masc.)
- as = them (fem.)
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:

a = direct object pronoun (in the sentence)
- Meaning: her / it (feminine)
- Function: replaces a direct object noun
- Example:
  - Eu a vejo. = I see her.
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 a → na

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.