Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje.

So lhe replaces a ele / a ela / a você / ao senhor / à senhora, etc. It marks the person who receives the action (the one to whom you show the report).

Why is lhe attached to the verb with a hyphen (mostrar‑lhe) and not written separately?

In European Portuguese, unstressed object pronouns like lhe, me, te, nos, vos are normally attached to the verb (enclisis) with a hyphen when they come after it:

mostrar‑lhe (show to him/her/you)
dar‑me (give to me)
explicar‑nos (explain to us)

This is the default position in a simple affirmative sentence that doesn’t trigger pronoun movement. Writing mostrar lhe (without a hyphen) is incorrect.

Why is the pronoun after the verb (mostrar‑lhe) instead of before it (lhe mostrar)?

In standard European Portuguese, the default pronoun position in a main clause is after the verb (enclisis), unless something forces it to move before the verb (proclisis), such as:

Negation: Não lhe quero mostrar o relatório hoje.
Certain adverbs/expressions at the start: Hoje lhe quero mostrar o relatório. (more formal/literary)
Subordinate clauses: Quando lhe quiser mostrar o relatório, digo‑lhe.

Because Eu quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje is affirmative, main clause, and nothing triggers proclisis before mostrar, the pronoun stays attached after the verb.

Could I say Eu quero lhe mostrar o relatório hoje instead?

In Brazilian Portuguese, Eu quero lhe mostrar o relatório hoje (pronoun before mostrar) is very natural.

In European Portuguese, though, the most standard option in this structure is Eu quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje (enclisis, attached to the infinitive mostrar).

European speakers might understand Eu quero lhe mostrar…, but it sounds Brazilian or non‑standard in Portugal.

Can I drop Eu and just say Quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje?

Yes. In Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb form already shows who the subject is.

Eu quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje.
Quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje.

Both mean the same thing; the second is slightly more natural in everyday speech in Portugal.

What is the difference between lhe and te in this kind of sentence?

Both are indirect object pronouns, but they differ in formality and person:

te = to you (singular, informal; used with tu)
- Quero mostrar‑te o relatório hoje.
lhe = to him / to her / to you (formal; used with você, o senhor, a senhora, etc.)
- Quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje.

So speaking to:

a friend: Quero mostrar‑te o relatório hoje.
your boss (formally): Quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje.

If lhe can mean “to him” or “to her”, isn’t that ambiguous?

Yes, lhe is gender‑neutral (and also does not show clearly if it’s “you (formal)” or “him/her”). Context usually makes it clear.

If you want to be explicit, you can use a full phrase instead of the pronoun:

Quero mostrar o relatório a ele. (to him)
Quero mostrar o relatório a ela. (to her)
Quero mostrar o relatório ao senhor / à senhora. (to you, formal)

These are a bit more emphatic/clear than Quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório.

How do I say this in the informal tu form to a friend?

Use te instead of lhe:

Quero mostrar‑te o relatório hoje.

Structure:

mostrar‑te = show to you (informal, singular)
o relatório = the report
hoje = today

What is the plural form of lhe if I want to say “I want to show you all the report today”?

The plural form is lhes.

Quero mostrar‑lhes o relatório hoje.
= I want to show them / you all (formal plural) the report today.

Lhes can mean:

to them (a eles / a elas)
to you (plural, formal) (a vocês in more formal usage, though in Portugal vos or just a vocês is often used instead)

Why do we say o relatório and not just relatório?

Portuguese uses definite articles more often than English. O relatório is:

o = the (masculine singular)
relatório = report

Here, o relatório suggests a specific report that both speaker and listener know about (for example, the report they’ve been working on).

You might omit the article in some contexts (titles, headings, very general statements), but in this sentence o relatório is the natural, standard choice.

Is the word order with hoje fixed, or can it move?

Hoje (today) is quite flexible. Common options:

Hoje quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório.
Quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje.
Hoje eu quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório.

All are acceptable. Differences are mostly about emphasis and style:

Starting with Hoje highlights the time: Today, I want to show…
Ending with hoje sounds very neutral in speech.

Why do we use the present tense quero mostrar for something that will happen later today?

In Portuguese, present tense is often used to express near‑future intentions or plans, especially with a time expression like hoje.

Quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje.
= I want to show you the report today / I’m planning to show you today.

You could also say:

Vou mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje. (I’m going to show you the report today – more focused on the future action)

But quero mostrar‑lhe is completely natural for a plan or intention later the same day.

How do I say the negative: “I don’t want to show you the report today”?

With negation, European Portuguese usually moves the pronoun before the main verb (proclisis):

Two common options:

Eu não lhe quero mostrar o relatório hoje.
Eu não quero mostrar‑lhe o relatório hoje.

In practice, in Portugal both are heard, but the pattern:

Negation + finite verb → pronoun before that finite verb (não lhe quero)

is the one you’ll see taught as standard.