Omitting the subject pronoun

The Ending Already Says Who

Every conjugation table you have learned shows a pronoun next to each form — but in real Portuguese those pronouns are usually SILENT. Falo can only ever mean I speak, and falas can only mean you speak, so Portuguese simply drops the pronoun and lets the ending do the work:

I speak Portuguese and English.
Falo português e inglês.
I work at the school and study at home.
Trabalho na escola e estudo em casa.
We open the store early.
Abrimos a loja cedo.

Questions work the same way:

Do you live in Lisbon? — I do.
Moras em Lisboa? — Moro.

That answer — just moro — is the normal Portuguese yes: repeat the verb, nothing else. It works with any verb:

Are you hungry? — I am.
Tens fome? — Tenho.
Is she a teacher? — She is.
Ela é professora? — É.

When the Pronoun Stays

Keep eu, tu, ele... when you point at a CONTRAST between people, or when you want emphasis:

I speak Portuguese and you speak English.
Eu falo português e tu falas inglês.

Third-person forms are the one grey zone: fala could be he, she or formal you, so ele, ela, você and o senhor appear whenever the context does not already make it obvious.

From here on, expect sentences without pronouns — they are the normal register, not a shortcut.

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