Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): A tampa caiu no chão durante o piquenique, mas eu lavei‑a e voltei a usá‑la. - The lid fell on the ground during the picnic, but I washed it and used it again.

They show that the unstressed direct‑object pronoun (here, feminine singular a/‑la = “it”) is attached to the verb after it (enclisis). In European Portuguese, when the object pronoun follows the verb, it is written with a hyphen: lavei‑a “I washed it,” usá‑la “to use it.”

Why is it a in lavei‑a but la in usá‑la?

It’s the same pronoun, but its form adapts to the ending of the verb it attaches to:

After verbs ending in a vowel or most consonants: use o/a/os/as (e.g., lavei‑a).
After verbs ending in ‑r, ‑s, or ‑z: the verb drops that final letter and the pronoun becomes ‑lo/‑la/‑los/‑las (e.g., usar → usá‑la, fiz
- o → fi‑lo).
After verb forms ending in a nasal sound (‑m, ‑ão, ‑õe/‑êm etc.): insert an n and use ‑no/‑na/‑nos/‑nas (e.g., dão‑no, põem‑na).

Why does usá‑la have an accent?

When you drop the final ‑r (because you’re adding ‑lo/‑la), the stress would otherwise shift. The acute accent keeps the original stress: usar (u‑SAR) → usá‑la (u‑SÁ‑la). Same pattern: amar → amá‑lo; comer → comê‑la.

Can I say lavei ela instead of lavei‑a?

In standard European Portuguese, no. Use the clitic pronoun: lavei‑a. Using ela as a direct object (“lavei ela”) is widespread in Brazil but is non‑standard in Portugal.

Why does the pronoun attach to usar and not to voltei in voltei a usá‑la?

With periphrastic structures (auxiliary/semiauxiliary + preposition + infinitive), European Portuguese normally attaches the object pronoun to the infinitive: voltei a usá‑la, vou fazê‑lo, estou a vê‑la. Attaching it to the finite verb here (voltei‑a usar) is not idiomatic.

Is voltar a + infinitive the same as saying “again”?

Yes, it means you resumed/repeated an action: voltar a + inf. = “to do X again.” Alternatives:

de novo / outra vez: “again” (e.g., usei‑a outra vez).
tornei a + inf.: more formal/literary (e.g., tornei a usá‑la).

Why is it caiu no chão and not caiu ao chão?

Both exist in Portugal.

cair no chão (onto/onto the ground) is the most common, everyday choice.
cair ao chão is also correct, a bit more formal/literary and focuses on the movement “to the ground.” “Para o chão” is possible with some verbs (“atirar para o chão”), but with cair, no/ao chão are the natural options.

Does chão mean “ground” or “floor”?

Both. chão can be the ground outdoors or the floor indoors (e.g., no chão da cozinha = “on the kitchen floor”). If you need to be technical: piso (floor/surface), soalho (wooden floor), terra (soil/earth).

Do I need the subject pronoun eu here?

Not necessarily. Portuguese is a pro‑drop language. You can say: … mas lavei‑a e voltei a usá‑la. Keeping eu is fine for emphasis or clarity.

Why is there a comma before mas?

mas (“but”) introduces a coordinating clause, so a comma normally precedes it: …, mas … This is standard Portuguese punctuation.

Are all the verbs in the same past tense?

Yes. caiu (3rd sg.), lavei (1st sg.), and voltei (1st sg.) are in the simple past (pretérito perfeito), used for completed actions in the past.

Why is it caiu and not caíu?

The correct spelling is caiu (no accent). Similarly, saiu (not “saíu”). The stress naturally falls where it should, so no accent is needed.

Why durante o piquenique and not no piquenique?

Both are fine but slightly different:

durante o piquenique = “during the picnic” (emphasizes time span).
no piquenique = “at the picnic” (location/time context, less about duration).

Why o piquenique and not um piquenique?

o refers to a specific picnic already known in context. um piquenique would mean “a (non‑specific) picnic.”

Is piquenique the standard spelling? What about the plural?

Yes, piquenique is the standard modern spelling in both Portugal and Brazil. The plural is piqueniques.

How would the pronouns change if the noun were masculine or plural?

Masculine singular (e.g., o copo): lavei‑o; voltei a usá‑lo.
Feminine plural (e.g., as tampas): lavei‑as; voltei a usá‑las.
Masculine plural (e.g., os copos): lavei‑os; voltei a usá‑los.

When do the forms ‑no/‑na show up (e.g., dão‑no)?

When a verb form ends with a nasal sound (‑m, ‑ão, ‑õe/‑êm, etc.), the clitic o/a/os/as becomes ‑no/‑na/‑nos/‑nas:

dão + o → dão‑no
fazem + a → fazem‑na
põem + os → põem‑nos

Could I replace mas with porém?

Yes, porém is a more formal/literary “but.” Placement differs: …, porém, … usually sits after the comma and takes commas around it more often than mas.

Can the object pronoun ever come before the verb in European Portuguese?

Yes—proclisis is required with certain triggers (negation, some adverbs, subordinators, etc.). Examples:

Não a lavei. (negation)
Já a lavei. / Ainda a uso. / Também a lavei. (adverbs)
Quando a lavei, … / Que a lavei, lavei. (subordination/emphasis) In neutral affirmative main clauses without triggers, enclisis (after the verb) is the default: lavei‑a.