The default position
In European Portuguese, object pronouns typically attach to the end of the verb with a hyphen in simple affirmative sentences.
| Do you promise me the truth? | Prometes-me a verdade? |
Before we look at when this rule changes, let's meet two new indirect object pronouns meaning "to him/her/you" and "to them":
| to him / to her / to you (formal) | lhe |
| to them / to you (plural formal) | lhes |
Negative words pull the pronoun
Certain words act like magnets, pulling the object pronoun to the front of the verb (and dropping the hyphen).
If a sentence contains a negative term like não (not), nunca (never), or ninguém (nobody), the pronoun shifts to the front.
| I do not give him the address. | Eu não lhe dou a morada. |
| They do not lend me the car. | Eles não me emprestam o carro. |
| Nobody lends him the money. | Ninguém lhe empresta o dinheiro. |
Question words pull the pronoun
Question words are also magnets. When asking a question starting with words like quem (who), o que (what), or onde (where), the pronoun must also go before the verb.
| Who gives him the address? | Quem lhe dá a morada? |
| What do you show them? | O que lhes mostras? |
| Where do you give them the money? | Onde lhes dás o dinheiro? |
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