A diretora pediu que lhe enviássemos o relatório em formato digital, para não ser preciso tirar mais fotocópias.

Because pedir que is followed by the subjunctive when one person asks, wants, or requests that someone else do something.

• pediu = (she) asked/requested
• que enviássemos = that we send / that we should send

So:

• A diretora pediu que lhe enviássemos o relatório...
  = The director asked us to send her the report...

If you said enviámos, that would be the indicative (we sent), which does not fit after pediu que in this structure.

A useful pattern to remember is:

• pedir que + subjunctive
• querer que + subjunctive
• esperar que + subjunctive

Examples:

• Ela pediu que eu fosse. = She asked me to go.
• Ele quer que façamos isso. = He wants us to do that.

Enviássemos is the imperfect subjunctive of enviar.

Here it is used because the main verb is in the past:

• pediu = past
• enviássemos = imperfect subjunctive, matching that past context

This is very common in Portuguese after a past verb of requesting, wanting, doubting, etc.

Conjugation of enviar in the imperfect subjunctive:

• eu enviasse
• tu enviasses
• ele/ela/você enviasse
• nós enviássemos
• vós enviásseis
• eles/elas/vocês enviassem

So enviássemos means that we sent / that we should send in this kind of sentence.

Because Portuguese often omits the subject pronoun when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• enviássemos clearly shows nós = we

So the sentence could be written as:

• A diretora pediu que nós lhe enviássemos o relatório...

But nós is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

This is very normal in Portuguese:

• Fomos ontem. = We went yesterday.
• Disseram-me isso. = They told me that.

Lhe means to her in this sentence.

So:

• lhe enviássemos o relatório
  = we send her the report

It is an indirect object pronoun.

Here, a diretora is the person who made the request, and lhe refers back to her:

• A diretora pediu que lhe enviássemos...
• literally: The director asked that we send to her...

Common indirect object pronouns:

• me = to me
• te = to you
• lhe = to him / to her / to you (formal singular)
• nos = to us
• vos = to you plural
• lhes = to them / to you plural

Because after certain words, Portuguese requires the object pronoun to come before the verb. This is called proclisis.

In this sentence, the trigger is que:

• A diretora pediu que lhe enviássemos...

After que, it is normal to place the pronoun before the verb:

• que lhe enviássemos not
• que enviássemos-lhe

So this is not just style; it is the standard placement here.

Compare:

• Enviei-lhe o relatório. = I sent her the report.
• Ela pediu que lhe enviasse o relatório. = She asked me to send her the report.

Without a trigger word like que, pronouns often come after the verb in European Portuguese. But with que, they usually come before it.

Yes, but not in the same way.

The normal, natural form is:

• A diretora pediu que lhe enviássemos o relatório.

You could say:

• A diretora pediu que enviássemos o relatório a ela.

But this sounds more marked or emphatic. It may suggest contrast, as in:

• send it to her, not to someone else

In ordinary neutral Portuguese, lhe is the preferred choice.

Because Portuguese usually uses pedir que + subjunctive when the sentence means to ask someone to do something.

So:

• A diretora pediu que lhe enviássemos o relatório.

This is a standard structure.

English often uses an infinitive:

• She asked us to send her the report.

Portuguese often uses a finite clause instead:

• She asked that we send her the report

Another possible Portuguese structure is:

• A diretora pediu-nos para lhe enviar o relatório.

That is also possible, but it is a different construction:

• pedir a alguém para + infinitive

So both patterns exist:

1. pedir que + subjunctive
2. pedir a alguém para + infinitive

It means in digital format.

So:

• o relatório em formato digital = the report in digital format

In more natural English, that might simply be:

• the report digitally
• the digital version of the report
• the report as a digital file

In Portuguese, em formato digital is a common and fairly formal way to say this, especially in office or administrative language.

You might also hear:

• em formato eletrónico
• por via digital in some contexts, though less directly equivalent here

Because em is the normal preposition in this expression.

• em formato digital = in digital format
• em papel = on paper / in paper form
• em PDF = in PDF
• em versão impressa = in printed version

So here em introduces the form or medium.

It means something like:

• so that it wouldn’t be necessary
• so as not to make it necessary
• to avoid it being necessary

This part explains the purpose of sending the report digitally.

So the full idea is:

• send the report digitally
• so that it won’t be necessary to make more photocopies

The key expression is ser preciso, which is an impersonal way to say to be necessary.

Examples:

• É preciso estudar. = It is necessary to study.
• Não foi preciso esperar. = It wasn’t necessary to wait.
• Pode ser preciso repetir. = It may be necessary to repeat.

Because after para, Portuguese often uses an infinitive structure when the clause is impersonal or general.

Here:

• para não ser preciso tirar mais fotocópias

This literally works as:

• for it not to be necessary to make more photocopies

This is a very natural structure in Portuguese.

A different version with a finite clause is also possible:

• ..., para que não fosse preciso tirar mais fotocópias.

That version uses:

• para que + subjunctive

So both are possible, but the original version is very idiomatic and compact.

Não negates ser preciso.

So:

• ser preciso = to be necessary
• não ser preciso = not to be necessary

This means the purpose is to avoid the need for more photocopies.

So:

• para não ser preciso tirar mais fotocópias = so that it wouldn’t be necessary to make more photocopies

Literally, tirar often means to take, but in this expression tirar fotocópias means:

• to make photocopies
• to photocopy

This is a very common Portuguese usage.

Examples:

• Vou tirar uma fotocópia deste documento. = I’m going to make a photocopy of this document.
• Tivemos de tirar várias fotocópias. = We had to make several photocopies.

So you should not translate tirar literally here.

Mais means more / additional.

So:

• tirar mais fotocópias = to make more photocopies

This implies that photocopies have already been made before, or that making additional ones would otherwise be necessary.

In context, the sentence suggests:

• if the report is sent digitally, they won’t need to produce any further paper copies

Yes, it is very natural in European Portuguese.

In Portugal, fotocópia is the normal word for photocopy.

In Brazilian Portuguese, fotocópia is understood, but people often say cópia or use other wording depending on context.

Since this sentence is clearly European Portuguese, fotocópias fits perfectly.

The comma separates the main statement from the purpose clause:

• A diretora pediu que lhe enviássemos o relatório em formato digital,
• para não ser preciso tirar mais fotocópias.

This comma helps readability and is very common here, especially in a longer sentence.

You may sometimes see similar purpose clauses without a comma in shorter sentences, but in this kind of formal sentence the comma is very natural.

It specifically means a female director/head/principal, because diretora is feminine.

• o diretor = the male director
• a diretora = the female director

In English, director does not show gender, but Portuguese does.

Also note the spelling:

• In modern European Portuguese spelling, diretora is standard.
• Older spelling directora may still be seen in older texts.

Yes. You could replace o relatório with o, but the sentence would become a bit denser because there are already other clitics involved.

For example:

• A diretora pediu que lho enviássemos.

Here:

• lhe = to her
• o = it
• lho = to her + it

This is correct Portuguese, especially in formal written language, but for learners it can look complicated.

That is one reason why full nouns like o relatório are often easier to understand and sometimes preferred in practice.

Lho is a combination of two object pronouns:

• lhe = to her / to him
• o = it

So:

• lho enviássemos = we send it to her/him

This is a very typical Portuguese pronoun combination, especially in formal writing.

Other combinations include:

• lha = to her/him + it (feminine object)
• lhos
• lhas

Example:

• Entreguei-lho ontem. = I delivered it to him/her yesterday.

Learners often find these forms difficult, so seeing the full noun o relatório is often easier.

Yes, it sounds fairly formal and professional.

Reasons:

• A diretora pediu que...
• enviássemos o relatório
• em formato digital
• fotocópias

This is exactly the sort of Portuguese you might hear or read in a workplace, school administration, or official context.

A more casual version might be simpler, for example:

• A diretora pediu para lhe mandarmos o relatório em digital...

But the original sentence is natural and appropriate in formal European Portuguese.

Yes, in many contexts you could say:

• A diretora pediu que lhe mandássemos o relatório...

This would also mean send.

However, enviar often sounds a bit more formal or more explicitly connected with documents, files, email attachments, and administrative language.

So in this sentence, enviássemos is a very good choice.

Roughly:

• enviar = send, more formal/neutral
• mandar = send, often more everyday

It is not wrong to think that, and in fact para que não fosse preciso is also correct.

But Portuguese often prefers a simpler infinitive clause when possible, especially with impersonal expressions like ser preciso.

So both are good:

• ..., para não ser preciso tirar mais fotocópias.
• ..., para que não fosse preciso tirar mais fotocópias.

The original version is slightly lighter and very natural.

The second version is a bit more explicitly finite and may sound a little more elaborate.

It has three main parts:

1. A diretora pediu
   = the main clause
   = The director asked

2. que lhe enviássemos o relatório em formato digital
   = a subordinate clause after pedir que
   = that we send her the report in digital format

3. para não ser preciso tirar mais fotocópias
   = a purpose clause
   = so that it would not be necessary to make more photocopies

So the sentence builds like this:

• someone made a request
• the request was to send the report digitally
• the reason/purpose was to avoid extra photocopying

Yes. It shows several very useful European Portuguese patterns at once:

1. past verb of request + que + imperfect subjunctive

   • pediu que enviássemos

2. indirect object pronoun before the verb after que

   • que lhe enviássemos

3. omitted subject pronoun

   • enviássemos already means we sent / we should send

4. purpose with para + infinitive

   • para não ser preciso...

5. impersonal necessity expression

   • ser preciso

If you learn this sentence well, you can reuse the same structure in many others:

• O professor pediu que entregássemos o trabalho hoje.
• A chefe pediu que lhe mandássemos os ficheiros.
• Fizemos isso para não ser preciso voltar amanhã.