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Quando preciso do dicionário, peço-lho.

Quando preciso do dicionário, peço-lho.
When I need the dictionary, I ask him for it.
From Lesson 92:Third-person object contractions (lho, lha)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Questions & Answers about Quando preciso do dicionário, peço-lho.

What exactly does -lho stand for in this sentence?
-lho combines two pronouns: the indirect lhe (to him) and the direct o (it). The o part refers back to o dicionário (masculine, singular), while the lhe part tells us who is being asked.
Does -lho always mean "him"? Could I use this exact sentence to mean "I ask HER for it"?
Yes, you can use the exact same sentence! The pronoun lhe can mean "to him", "to her", or even formal "to you". So -lho can refer to any of those people, depending on the context of the conversation.
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.

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