Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu pedi‑lhe que me trouxesse mais arroz, e ela trouxe‑me tudo rapidamente. - I asked her to bring me more rice, and she brought me everything quickly.

Lhe is an unstressed pronoun meaning to him / to her / to you (formal). In European Portuguese it is very common and natural to use this kind of pronoun instead of a full phrase like a ela.

Eu pedi‑lhe… = I asked her…
Eu pedi a ela… is grammatically correct, but sounds heavier and is normally used only when you want to emphasize ela (e.g. to contrast with someone else: Não pedi ao João, pedi a ela.).

So pedi‑lhe is just the normal, compact way of saying pedi a ela in European Portuguese.

What exactly does lhe mean here?

In this sentence, lhe is:

3rd person singular, indirect object pronoun
Refers to ela (the woman mentioned later)
Translates as to her in English

So Eu pedi‑lhe… literally means I asked to her…, which in natural English is I asked her….

Note that lhe can also mean to him or to you (formal), depending on context. The sentence later says ela, so we know it’s to her here.

Why is the pronoun attached with a hyphen in pedi‑lhe and trouxe‑me, but placed before the verb in me trouxesse?

This is about clitic pronoun position in European Portuguese:

Pedi‑lhe and trouxe‑me show enclisis: pronoun after the verb with a hyphen.
Me trouxesse shows proclisis: pronoun before the verb.

In European Portuguese, you normally use enclisis (verb‑pronoun) unless there is a “trigger word” that pulls the pronoun in front of the verb. One of those triggers is que (when it introduces a subordinate clause).

So:

Eu pedi‑lhe… → no trigger, so pedi‑lhe
… que me trouxesse… → que triggers proclisis, so me trouxesse
… e ela trouxe‑me… → the clause after e has no trigger, so trouxe‑me

In Brazilian Portuguese, you would much more often hear lhe pedi, me trouxesse, ela me trouxe, but in European Portuguese the pattern in your sentence is the standard one.

Why is it trouxesse and not trouxe or trazer?

Trouxesse is the imperfect subjunctive form of trazer (to bring). It’s used because:

Pedir que…
- verb normally requires the subjunctive, not the indicative.
The embedded clause (que me trouxesse mais arroz) expresses a request / wish, not a factual statement.

Compare:

Eu pedi‑lhe que me trouxesse mais arroz.
→ I asked her to bring me more rice (request; subjunctive trouxesse)
Ela trouxe mais arroz.
→ She brought more rice (simple fact; indicative trouxe)

You can’t say pedi‑lhe que me trazer – que + infinitive is not correct here; with pedir que, you must use the subjunctive.

Could I say Eu pedi‑lhe para trazer mais arroz instead of que me trouxesse mais arroz?

Yes, that’s possible, and you will hear it:

Eu pedi‑lhe para trazer mais arroz.
Eu pedi‑lhe que me trouxesse mais arroz.

Both can mean I asked her to bring (me) more rice, but there are nuances:

Pedir‑lhe que trouxesse… is more formal / standard and clearly marks a subordinate clause with a different subject (she is the one who brings).
Pedir‑lhe para trazer… is very common in speech, a bit less formal, and uses para + infinitive instead of the subjunctive.

If you want to keep the idea that the rice is for you, you’d keep me somewhere:

Eu pedi‑lhe para me trazer mais arroz.
Eu pedi‑lhe que me trouxesse mais arroz.

Why do we need me in que me trouxesse mais arroz? Could we omit it?

Me here marks indirect object: it tells us to whom she should bring the rice.

Que me trouxesse mais arroz = that she bring me more rice (the rice is for me).
Que trouxesse mais arroz = that she bring more rice (to the table, to everyone, to the group — the recipient is not specified).

So:

If you specifically want the rice for you, you keep me.
If you just want more rice to appear (for the table in general), you can omit me.

In context, at a table, me emphasizes that the portion is for the speaker.

Why is it mais arroz without an article, and not mais do arroz or something similar?

Arroz is a mass noun here (like rice in English). When talking about some unspecified quantity of a mass noun, European Portuguese often uses no article:

Quero arroz. = I want (some) rice.
Quero mais arroz. = I want more rice.

Mais do arroz would usually mean more of the rice (already mentioned / specific) and sounds quite unusual in this kind of request at the table. It would be more natural in a different context, e.g.:

Gostaste do arroz? Queres mais do arroz que fiz ontem?
(Did you like the rice? Do you want more of the rice I made yesterday?)

In your sentence, you’re just asking for more rice in general, so mais arroz is the normal form.

In ela trouxe‑me tudo rapidamente, what does tudo refer to? Why not repeat mais arroz?

Tudo here is a pronoun meaning everything / all of it. It refers back to more rice (and possibly anything else that was requested or assumed).

Ela trouxe‑me tudo rapidamente.
→ She brought me everything quickly. / She brought it all to me quickly.

Repeating mais arroz is also possible:

Ela trouxe‑me mais arroz rapidamente.

But tudo suggests she brought the full amount or everything I wanted, not just a little more. Context decides exactly what tudo refers to, but grammatically it just stands for the whole of whatever was requested.

What’s the difference between tudo and todo? Why is it tudo here?

Tudo is a pronoun: everything, all (of it). It stands alone, without a noun after it.
- Ela trouxe‑me tudo. = She brought me everything.
Todo / toda / todos / todas are adjectives (or adjective‑like determiners): all, every, used with a noun.
- Ela trouxe‑me todo o arroz. = She brought me all the rice.
- Ela trouxe‑me todos os pratos. = She brought me all the dishes.

In your sentence, there is no noun after it, so the correct choice is the pronoun tudo, not todo.

Can we say ela trouxe‑me tudo depressa instead of rapidamente? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can:

Ela trouxe‑me tudo rapidamente.
Ela trouxe‑me tudo depressa.

Both mean she brought me everything quickly, but:

Rapidamente is a bit more neutral / formal, closer to the English rapidly / quickly.
Depressa is very common in everyday speech and often sounds more colloquial: fast, quickly.

So depressa might sound slightly more informal and conversational, but both are perfectly fine.

Is Eu necessary in Eu pedi‑lhe que me trouxesse mais arroz? Could I say just Pedi‑lhe…?

The subject pronoun eu is not necessary. Portuguese is a pro‑drop language: the subject is usually clear from the verb ending.

So you can say:

Eu pedi‑lhe que me trouxesse mais arroz.
Pedi‑lhe que me trouxesse mais arroz.

Both are correct. Adding eu can:

Add slight emphasis (“I asked her…”)
Help clarify the subject if the context is confusing

But in a normal, clear context, Pedi‑lhe… is perfectly natural.

Why do we see both lhe and ela in the same sentence? Aren’t they referring to the same person?

Yes, they refer to the same person, but they play different grammatical roles:

Lhe is an indirect object pronoun: to her
- Eu pedi‑lhe… = I asked her…
Ela is a subject pronoun: she
- … e ela trouxe‑me tudo rapidamente. = and she brought me everything quickly.

In the first clause, the important thing is who was asked (indirect object → lhe).
In the second clause, the important thing is who did the bringing (subject → ela).

That’s why the sentence naturally uses both forms.