Catching Up
Running into an old friend is always a nice surprise! Before we dive into the grammar, let's look at some helpful vocabulary for talking about reunions and maintaining friendships.
| It was an unexpected and wonderful reunion! | Foi um reencontro inesperado e maravilhoso! |
| We want to keep the friendship of our youth. | Nós queremos manter a amizade da nossa juventude. |
Reciprocal Actions with "Nós"
When two or more people do something to each other (a mutual action), Portuguese uses plural reflexive pronouns. When talking about what "we" do to each other, you use the pronoun nos.
Remember that negative words (like não) act as "magnets" and pull the pronoun directly in front of the verb.
| The distance is great, therefore we don't see each other. | A distância é grande, portanto não nos vemos. |
Attaching "nos" to the Verb
In standard affirmative sentences, the pronoun attaches to the end of the verb with a hyphen. However, there is a very important spelling rule: when attaching -nos to a verb conjugated for nós, you must drop the verb's final -s.
For example, abraçamos (we hug) becomes abraçamo-nos (we hug each other).
| When we meet, we always hug each other. | Quando nos encontramos, abraçamo-nos sempre. |
| We update each other on the news. | Nós atualizamo-nos sobre as novidades. |
Reciprocal Actions with "Eles", "Elas", and "Vocês"
When talking about what "they" or "you all" do to each other, use the pronoun se.
Unlike the nós form, verbs conjugated for eles/elas/vocês end in -m. You do not need to drop any letters when attaching -se to the end of these verbs.
| They meet and hug each other in the middle of the street. | Eles encontram-se e abraçam-se no meio da rua. |
| They kiss each other and talk about their youth. | Elas beijam-se e conversam sobre a juventude. |
Just like with nos, magnet words—such as question words (like como)—will pull the se to the front of the verb.
| How do you greet each other? Do you kiss each other? | Como é que vocês se cumprimentam? Beijam-se? |
Now that you know how to talk about catching up, it's time to part ways until the next lesson!
| After dinner, we say goodbye to each other. | Depois do jantar, despedimo-nos. |