Question 1

Both verbs use the pronoun nos. Does it mean ourselves or each other here?

Accepted Answer

In this sentence, nos acts as a reciprocal pronoun meaning each other. While reflexive pronouns usually show an action done to yourself, plural pronouns like nos or se can also show an action done to one another. The context of meeting (encontramos) and hugging (abraçamo) makes it clear that the people are doing this to each other, not to themselves.

Question 2

Why is the pronoun before the verb in nos encontramos but attached to the end in abraçamo-nos?

Accepted Answer

This is due to pronoun placement rules. In the first part, the word Quando acts as a magnet word, which forces the pronoun to come right before the verb (nos encontramos). In the second part, the clause starts with the verb itself. In European Portuguese, you cannot start a clause with an unattached pronoun, so it must attach to the end of the verb with a hyphen (abraçamo-nos).

Question 3

Wait, the standard we form of the verb is abraçamos. Why is the s missing in abraçamo-nos?

Accepted Answer

That is a mandatory spelling rule in European Portuguese. Whenever a verb form ends in an s and is followed by the attached pronoun nos, we must drop the final s of the verb. Therefore, abraçamos plus nos becomes abraçamo-nos. This avoids an awkward double-s sound and makes it much easier to pronounce out loud.

Question 4

If sempre was placed before the verb, would the pronoun placement change?

Accepted Answer

Yes, because adverbs like sempre are also magnet words. If you changed the word order to put it before the verb, it would pull the pronoun to the front, giving you the phrase sempre nos abraçamos. Notice that because the hyphen is gone, the verb goes back to normal and keeps its final s!

Quando nos encontramos, abraçamo-nos sempre.

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