Working Together
A successful team relies on good communication and mutual support. Here are a couple of useful terms for the workplace.
| to communicate | comunicar |
| Mutual help is fundamental to collaborate in the office. | A entreajuda é fundamental para colaborar no escritório. |
Reinforcing Reciprocal Actions
You already know that adding pronouns like nos and se to a verb can indicate a mutual action (like we help each other or they praise each other). To add emphasis or make it absolutely clear that people are doing something to one another, you can place a reinforcing phrase at the end of the sentence.
| each other (m/mixed; f: uma à outra; pl: uns aos outros, umas às outras) | um ao outro |
The phrase you use must match the gender of the people involved. It must also match the number of people: use the singular forms (um ao outro or uma à outra) for exactly two people, and the plural forms (uns aos outros or umas às outras) for groups of three or more.
Let's look at how to use the plural forms for larger groups:
| In our team, we help each other. | Na nossa equipa, ajudamo-nos uns aos outros. |
| The colleagues praise each other. | Os colegas elogiam-se uns aos outros. |
And here is how you use the singular form when exactly two people are involved:
| The doctor and the nurse defended each other. | O médico e o enfermeiro defendiam-se um ao outro. |
Finally, here is an example using the feminine plural form for a group made up entirely of women:
| The teachers motivate each other. | As professoras motivam-se umas às outras. |
