Pronouns with let, make, see, and hear

Directing the Action

When running a theatre rehearsal, a stage director has to watch, listen, allow, and command.

the stage director
o encenador

In Portuguese, when you use perception verbs like ver (to see) or ouvir (to hear) with an infinitive, the object pronoun (me, te, o, a, os, as) attaches to the conjugated verb, not the infinitive. In an affirmative sentence, it is connected with a hyphen.

The stage director heard him perform the monologue.
O encenador ouviu-o interpretar o monólogo.
I saw you improvise the monologue.
Vi-te improvisar o monólogo.

Letting and Making

The exact same rule applies to causative verbs like deixar (to let) and fazer (to make). You attach the pronoun to the conjugated verb, and the second action simply stays in the infinitive.

The director makes me cry.
O encenador faz-me chorar.
I let her improvise with the new prop.
Deixei-a improvisar com o adereço novo.

Triggers that Move the Pronoun

As with standard pronoun rules in Portuguese, certain "magnetic" words will pull the pronoun to the front of the conjugated verb, dropping the hyphen altogether.

When using this infinitive structure, look out for negative words like não (not), relative pronouns like quem (who), and time conjunctions like mal (as soon as). These will force the pronoun to sit directly before the main verb.

The stage director did not let her forget the cue.
O encenador não a deixou esquecer-se da deixa.
Who saw her wipe the tear was the stage director.
Quem a viu limpar a lágrima foi o encenador.
As soon as I saw them cry backstage, I postponed the premiere.
Mal os vi chorar nos bastidores, adiei a estreia.