Word
Quando preciso do dicionário, peço-lho.
Meaning
When I need the dictionary, I ask him for it.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Quando preciso do dicionário, peço-lho.
quando
when
precisar de
to need
o dicionário
the dictionary
pedir
to ask for
Questions & Answers about Quando preciso do dicionário, peço-lho.
What exactly does -lho stand for in this sentence?
Does -lho always mean "him"? Could I use this exact sentence to mean "I ask HER for it"?
Why do we say preciso do instead of just preciso o?
The verb precisar (to need) is always followed by the preposition de when you state what you need. Here, de merges with the word o (the) to form the contraction do before dicionário.
Why does -lho attach to the end of peço with a hyphen?
In European Portuguese, object pronouns typically attach to the end of the verb in an affirmative statement. Because the comma acts as a pause, peço is treated as the first word of its clause, so the pronoun must come directly after it.