Eu a vejo na escola todos os dias.

I see her at school every day.

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

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).

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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.

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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”.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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

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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.

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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.

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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 + ...

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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).

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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.