Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Ela devolveu o livro e emprestou-me uma caneta.

In European Portuguese, in affirmative main clauses without a proclisis trigger, unstressed object pronouns go after the verb and take a hyphen (enclisis): emprestou-me. The conjunction e by itself does not trigger proclisis, so e emprestou-me is the standard EP form. Writing emprestou me (no hyphen) is incorrect in this position.

Can I say e me emprestou like in Brazilian Portuguese?

In Portugal, that order is normally used only when something forces the pronoun before the verb (proclisis), e.g., with não, já, ainda, que, quem. After a simple e, EP prefers enclisis: e emprestou-me. In Brazil, e me emprestou is the default.

What kinds of words put the pronoun before the verb in EP?

Common proclisis triggers:

Negatives: não, nunca, ninguém, nada
Certain adverbs/quantifiers: já, ainda, sempre, também, só
Interrogatives/relatives: que, quem, onde, quando, etc.
Subordinating conjunctions: porque, se, quando (in subordinate clauses)

Examples:

Ela não me emprestou uma caneta.
Já me emprestou uma caneta.
Quem me emprestou uma caneta?

Could I say emprestou uma caneta a mim or para mim instead of emprestou-me?

a mim is correct and emphatic: emprestou uma caneta a mim (often used to stress contrast).
para mim is widely understood; in Portugal it’s more colloquial and can sound like for me (beneficiary) rather than a bare indirect object. The standard preposition with emprestar is a.
The most natural everyday EP version here is the clitic: emprestou-me uma caneta.

Why is it o livro but uma caneta?

o livro (definite) signals a specific, known book—likely the one previously mentioned or understood from context.
uma caneta (indefinite) introduces a new, non‑specific pen. You could change the articles to alter the nuance: devolveu um livro (some book) or emprestou-me a caneta (a particular pen).

Do I have to repeat the subject (Ela) before the second verb?

No. Portuguese is a pro‑drop language: the verb endings show the subject, so repeating Ela is unnecessary. Ela devolveu o livro e emprestou-me… is natural. Repeating it (…e ela emprestou-me…) is grammatical but heavier.

What tense are devolveu and emprestou, and when is it used?

They’re in the pretérito perfeito (simple past), used for completed events. It corresponds well to English simple past. Formation here:

devolver (-er): 3rd sg pretérito → devolv‑eu = devolveu
emprestar (-ar): 3rd sg pretérito → emprest‑ou = emprestou

Any quick pronunciation tips for EP?

Approximate European Portuguese:

Ela [ˈɛ.lɐ]
devolveu [dɨ.vɔl.ˈvew]
o (before consonant) [u]
livro [ˈli.vɾu]
e (as a conjunction) [i]
emprestou-me [ẽ.pɾɨʃ.ˈto.mɨ] (note the nasal ẽ‑, and s before t sounds like “sh”)
uma [ˈu.mɐ]
caneta [kɐ.ˈne.tɐ]

Does emprestar mean lend or borrow?

Emprestar means “to lend.” To express “to borrow,” say:

pedir emprestado: Preciso de pedir emprestado. When asking someone for something, you still use emprestar from the lender’s viewpoint: Podes emprestar-me uma caneta? If you say Posso emprestar-te uma caneta?, you are offering to lend a pen to the other person.

Could I say lhe emprestou instead of emprestou-me?

No, not if you mean “lent me.” lhe is 3rd‑person indirect object (“to him/her/you‑formal” in some contexts). lhe emprestou uma caneta = “(she) lent him/her a pen.” For “me,” use me: emprestou-me.

Can the clitic go after the object, like emprestou uma caneta-me?

No. In EP, clitic pronouns must be adjacent to the verb:

Enclisis: emprestou-me uma caneta
Proclisis (with a trigger): me emprestou uma caneta Placing the clitic after the noun phrase is ungrammatical.

Why isn’t there a comma before e?

Portuguese doesn’t use a comma to join two verbs with the same subject in a simple compound predicate. So Ela devolveu o livro e emprestou-me… takes no comma.

How would the sentence change in the negative?

Ela não devolveu o livro e não me emprestou uma caneta. Notice não forces proclisis: não me emprestou (not não emprestou-me).

Is there anything special about the hyphen in emprestou-me?

Yes. In EP:

After the verb (enclisis): use a hyphen → emprestou-me
Before the verb (proclisis): no hyphen → me emprestou This hyphen rule applies to all unstressed object pronouns.

What happens if I replace the objects with pronouns (e.g., returned it; lent it to me)?

Returned it (the book) → Ela devolveu‑o.
Lent it (the pen) to me → In formal/standard EP, double clitics contract: Ela emprestou‑ma (me + a = ma). Other combinations: mo, ma, mos, mas with o/a/os/as. In everyday speech, many avoid double clitics and just keep the noun: emprestou‑me a caneta.