In an escape room, you will often use verbal complexes (an auxiliary verb paired with a main verb) to talk about what you want or plan to do.
Attaching to the infinitive
In affirmative sentences, the object pronoun usually attaches to the end of the main verb (the infinitive) using a hyphen.
Remember your pronoun rules: when attaching o, a, os, or as to an infinitive, you drop the final -r and change the pronoun to -lo, -la, -los, or -las. Add an accent to the verb's final vowel if it is a (á) or e (ê).
| The puzzle is strange, but I am going to decipher it. | O enigma é estranho, mas vou decifrá-lo. |
| I found the padlock and I am going to unlock it. | Encontrei o cadeado e vou destrancá-lo. |
The "magnet" rule with negative words
If there is a negative word (like não) before the verbs, it acts as a magnet. The pronoun is pulled away from the infinitive and moves all the way to the front, coming before the auxiliary verb.
| I cannot unlock it because the padlock is broken. | Não o posso destrancar porque o cadeado está estragado. |
When there are no negative words acting as magnets, continue attaching the pronoun to the end of the infinitive, regardless of which auxiliary verb (like dever or querer) is used.
| The combination is secret, but you must write it. | A combinação é secreta, mas deves escrevê-la. |
| We have the correct code and we want to use it. | Temos o código correto e queremos usá-lo. |
Continuous actions
Standard European Portuguese expresses ongoing actions using estar a plus an infinitive (instead of using a gerund like in English or Brazilian Portuguese).
Since the main action is still an infinitive, pronoun placement works exactly the same way: in an affirmative question or statement, attach it directly to the end of the infinitive.
| The sequence is long, are you reading it on the panel? | A sequência é longa, estás a lê-la no painel? |