Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução e ele corrigiu a ortografia com paciência. - I showed him my translation and he corrected the spelling patiently.

In European Portuguese, unstressed object pronouns (like lhe) are usually written after the verb and joined to it with a hyphen in affirmative main clauses:

Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução. – I showed him/her my translation.

This pattern is called enclisis (pronoun after the verb). The hyphen is mandatory in writing whenever the pronoun is attached to the verb like this:

Disse‑lhe (I told him/her), mandei‑te (I sent you), deu‑nos (he gave us).

You do not write them as separate words in this position (✗ eu mostrei lhe is wrong in Portuguese).

What exactly does lhe mean here, and whom does it refer to?

Lhe is the indirect object pronoun for the 3rd person singular. It can mean:

to him
to her
to you (formal o senhor / a senhora)

In this sentence:

Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução e ele corrigiu a ortografia com paciência.
I showed him my translation and he corrected the spelling patiently.

lhe refers to ele (the “he” mentioned in the second clause). So mostrei‑lhe = mostrei a ele = I showed (it) to him.

The direct object is a minha tradução (my translation), and lhe is the indirect object (to him).

Could I say “Eu mostrei a minha tradução a ele” instead of “Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução”?

Yes, you can. Both are grammatically correct in European Portuguese:

Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução.
Eu mostrei a minha tradução a ele.

Differences:

mostrei‑lhe is more compact and more typical of European Portuguese, especially in writing and in more formal speech.
a ele is a full prepositional phrase and can be used:
- for clarity (if it isn’t obvious who “lhe” refers to), or
- for emphasis: Eu mostrei a minha tradução *a ele, não a ela.*

You normally don’t use both together (✗ Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução a ele is redundant and incorrect).

Why can’t I say “Eu mostrei a minha tradução‑lhe” and put lhe after the noun?

Because in Portuguese the clitic pronoun (lhe) must attach to the verb, not to the noun.

Correct structure:

Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução.
- Verb: mostrei
- Indirect object pronoun: ‑lhe (attached to the verb)
- Direct object: a minha tradução

Putting lhe on the noun (tradução‑lhe) is not allowed. Clitic pronouns in Portuguese always “stick” to the verb (before, after, or inside it, depending on the context), never to other parts of the sentence.

Could I say “Eu lhe mostrei a minha tradução”, like in Brazilian Portuguese?

In Brazilian Portuguese, “Eu lhe mostrei a minha tradução” is natural.

In European Portuguese, that word order (proclisis with lhe after an explicit subject pronoun eu) sounds strange and is generally avoided in standard usage.

For European Portuguese, the most natural options are:

Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução.
Mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução.
Eu mostrei a minha tradução a ele / a ela.

So, for Portugal, prefer mostrei‑lhe or a ele / a ela, rather than eu lhe mostrei.

What tense are mostrei and corrigiu, and how are they used?

Both mostrei and corrigiu are in the pretérito perfeito simples (simple preterite), used for completed past actions.

mostrei – 1st person singular of mostrar
- eu mostrei = I showed / I did show
corrigiu – 3rd person singular of corrigir
- ele corrigiu = he corrected

This tense corresponds most closely to the English simple past:

Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução. – I showed him my translation.
Ele corrigiu a ortografia. – He corrected the spelling.

In a minha tradução, what is the function of a? Is it a preposition or an article?

In a minha tradução, a is the definite article (the), not the preposition a (to).

Breakdown:

a – the (feminine singular definite article)
minha – my (possessive adjective)
tradução – translation

So a minha tradução literally means “the my translation”, which in natural English is “my translation”.

The preposition a (to) is not used before the direct object here; the only a in that phrase is the article attached to the noun via the possessive.

Why do we say a minha tradução and not just minha tradução?

In European Portuguese, possessives almost always come with a definite article:

a minha tradução – my translation
o meu carro – my car
os meus livros – my books

Saying minha tradução (without the article) is common in Brazilian Portuguese, but in Portugal it sounds either informal/regional or just odd in many contexts.

So for standard Portuguese (Portugal), you should generally use:

a minha, o teu, a sua, etc., with the article.

What exactly does ortografia mean here? Is it just “spelling”?

Yes, ortografia basically means spelling – the correct way to write words according to official rules.

corrigir a ortografia = to correct the spelling

It can also more broadly include:

use of accents,
correct letters in each word,
some aspects of hyphenation and similar conventions.

It is more specific than gramática (grammar).

corrigir a gramática – correct grammar (tenses, agreement, sentence structure, etc.)
corrigir a ortografia – correct spelling (letters, accents, etc.)

Why does the sentence use com paciência instead of an adverb like pacientemente?

Both structures are possible, but com paciência is more common and more natural in everyday Portuguese:

Ele corrigiu a ortografia com paciência.
– He corrected the spelling with patience / patiently.
Ele corrigiu a ortografia pacientemente.
– Also correct, but sounds more formal or literary.

Portuguese often uses “com + noun” (com cuidado, com calma, com atenção, com paciência) instead of an ‑mente adverb (cuidadosamente, calmamente, atentamente, pacientemente) in informal or neutral speech.

Can I omit Eu and just say “Mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução ...”?

Yes. In Portuguese, the subject pronoun is often dropped, because the verb ending already indicates the person:

Mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução e ele corrigiu a ortografia com paciência.

The verb mostrei clearly shows that the subject is eu.

You normally use the subject pronoun when you want to:

contrast subjects:
- Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução e ele corrigiu a ortografia.
emphasise the subject, or
avoid ambiguity in more complex contexts.

In your sentence, both Eu mostrei‑lhe… and Mostrei‑lhe… are correct.

Do we have to repeat ele in the second clause (“… e ele corrigiu a ortografia …”)?

No, you don’t have to. You could also say:

Eu mostrei‑lhe a minha tradução e corrigiu a ortografia com paciência.

Because the subject ele is clearly the same as in the context, Portuguese allows subject omission in the second clause.

However:

Repeating ele (… e ele corrigiu …) can make the sentence clearer and sometimes adds a slight emphasis to the contrast between what I did and what he did.
In written Portuguese, especially in more formal text, repeating the subject is quite common for clarity.

Both versions are grammatically correct.