Questions & Answers about Eu sento-me ao lado do Pedro.
-me is a reflexive pronoun, meaning “myself”.
- The infinitive verb is sentar-se = to sit down (literally: to seat oneself).
- In the eu (I) form, it becomes eu sento-me = I sit down / I sit myself.
In Portuguese, many actions that you do to your own body are expressed reflexively:
- lavar-se – to wash (oneself) → eu lavo-me – I wash (myself)
- levantar-se – to get up → eu levanto-me – I get up
- sentar-se – to sit down → eu sento-me – I sit down
You normally need the reflexive pronoun here: eu sento without -me sounds incomplete or different (more like “I seat [someone]”, which is unusual).
This is a European Portuguese sentence, and European Portuguese has different default rules for where reflexive pronouns go.
In European Portuguese, in a normal affirmative main clause with no special triggers, the pronoun goes after the verb, attached with a hyphen (this is called enclisis):
- Eu sento-me ao lado do Pedro.
- Eu levanto-me cedo.
In Brazilian Portuguese, the usual spoken form puts the pronoun before the verb (proclisis):
- Eu me sento ao lado do Pedro.
European Portuguese also uses pronouns before the verb (proclisis) when there are certain words that “attract” the pronoun, for example:
- Não me sento ao lado do Pedro. (negative)
- Nunca me sento ao lado do Pedro. (adverb)
- Que eu me sente aqui? (after some conjunctions / in subordinate clauses)
But in a simple, positive, standalone sentence, sento-me is the normal European Portuguese order.
You don’t have to say Eu.
Portuguese is a “pro-drop” language: the subject pronoun (eu, tu, ele, etc.) is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
- Eu sento-me ao lado do Pedro.
- Sento-me ao lado do Pedro.
Both are correct. The version without eu is very common in speech:
- Use Sento-me ao lado do Pedro as your default.
- Use Eu sento-me ao lado do Pedro if you want to emphasise “I (as opposed to someone else) sit next to Pedro”.
With a person as the subject, the normal verb is sentar-se.
- Eu sento-me. – I sit down.
- Eles sentam-se. – They sit down.
The form sentar (without -se) is possible, but then it usually means “to seat [someone/something]”:
- O professor sentou os alunos. – The teacher seated the students.
So, for yourself sitting down, use the reflexive:
- ✅ Eu sento-me ao lado do Pedro.
- ❌ Eu sento ao lado do Pedro. (wrong in normal Portuguese for “I sit down next to Pedro”)
Sento-me is present indicative of sentar-se.
Present indicative of sentar-se (European Portuguese):
- eu sento-me – I sit (down)
- tu sentas-te – you sit (down) (informal singular)
- ele / ela senta-se – he / she sits (down)
- nós sentamo-nos – we sit (down)
- vocês sentam-se – you sit (down) (plural)
- eles / elas sentam-se – they sit (down)
Important: the pronoun sticks to the verb with a hyphen in this position.
They describe different things:
Eu sento-me ao lado do Pedro.
- Focus on the action of sitting down.
- It answers: Where do you sit? / What do you do when you sit?
Eu estou sentado ao lado do Pedro.
- Focus on the state of being already seated.
- It answers: Where are you (while sitting)?
In English, “I sit next to Pedro”, “I sit down next to Pedro”, or “I’m sitting next to Pedro” might all be translations depending on context, but in Portuguese the grammar clearly distinguishes action (sentar-se) from state (estar sentado).
Ao is a contraction of the preposition a and the masculine singular article o:
- a + o = ao
Literally:
- ao lado = a + o lado = to the side / at the side
So:
- ao lado do Pedro = at the side of Pedro → next to Pedro / beside Pedro.
Do is a contraction of de + o:
- de + o = do
So:
- do Pedro = de + o Pedro = of the Pedro → in natural English: of Pedro / Pedro’s / next to Pedro.
Putting it together:
- ao lado do Pedro = at the side of the Pedro → next to Pedro.
In European Portuguese, it is very common to use a definite article with people’s names, especially in informal speech:
- o Pedro, a Maria, o João
So:
- ao lado do Pedro = ao lado de + o Pedro
This doesn’t translate into English; we just say Pedro.
Notes:
- In Brazilian Portuguese, using the article with personal names is less common and more regional; many Brazilians would simply say ao lado de Pedro.
- In formal writing in Portugal, you may also see names without the article, but with it is very normal in everyday European Portuguese.
You can, but it sounds more formal, written, or literary in European Portuguese.
- ao lado do Pedro – normal, everyday European Portuguese
- ao lado de Pedro – possible but feels more formal / stylised
In everyday speech in Portugal, if you are talking about a specific person you know (like your friend Pedro), people almost always say:
- ao lado do Pedro
- com o Pedro
- falei com o Pedro
Using de Pedro without the article is more typical in:
- Formal or poetic style
- Some set expressions or lists (filho de Pedro e Ana, etc.)
All three relate to proximity, but with slightly different nuances:
ao lado de – at the side of, next to, beside
- Very clear side‑by‑side idea.
- Sento-me ao lado do Pedro. – I sit next to Pedro (right by his side).
perto de – near, close to
- General closeness, not necessarily immediately beside.
- Sento-me perto do Pedro. – I sit near Pedro (in his area, but not necessarily right next to him).
junto de / junto a – close to, by, next to
- Often a bit more formal or written.
- Sento-me junto do Pedro. – I sit by Pedro / next to Pedro.
In everyday spoken European Portuguese, ao lado de is the clearest and most common when you mean physically next to someone.
It will be understood, but it sounds Brazilian, not native European.
- European natural: Eu sento-me ao lado do Pedro.
- Brazilian natural: Eu me sento ao lado do Pedro.
In European Portuguese:
- sento-me (pronoun after the verb) is the normal choice in a simple positive sentence.
- me sento is not the usual pattern and would mark you as speaking with a Brazilian grammar influence.
Think of it as the normal Portuguese way to say “I sit (down) next to Pedro”.
You might say it:
Describing a habit:
- Na aula, sento-me sempre ao lado do Pedro. – In class, I always sit next to Pedro.
Describing a decision in the moment:
- Quando entro no autocarro, sento-me ao lado do Pedro. – When I get on the bus, I sit down next to Pedro.
It’s perfectly natural and common in Portuguese, even though in English we don’t usually say “I seat myself”.
Yes, in this structure (verb + pronoun in European Portuguese), the hyphen is required in standard writing:
- sento-me, levanto-me, deito-me, desculpa-me, etc.
When the pronoun comes before the verb (e.g. não me sento), you don’t use a hyphen:
- Não me sento ao lado do Pedro.
- Nunca me sento ao lado do Pedro.
So:
- Verb + pronoun → hyphen: sento-me
- Pronoun + verb → no hyphen: me sento (in Brazilian), me sento only in specific European structures, but still without a hyphen.