In our unit on clitic object pronouns in Portuguese, we discussed where to place clitics within a sentence. More specifically, we talked about whether the clitic goes before the verb, after the verb, or in the middle of the verb.
When auxiliary verbs get involved, there are now 2 verbs, so the rules change a bit. You are probably thinking oh no… not more rules! 🤯 But don’t worry! In this case, they are actually more flexible compared to the rules we’ve discussed in the past. This means even if you forget, you have fewer chances of making a mistake. 😉
What’s a Verb Phrase?
An auxiliary verb combines with a main verb to form a locução verbal (verb phrase). ‘Verb phrase’ can mean something different in English, but in Portuguese it’s simply the use of an auxiliary verb + a main verb. More specifically, the formula looks like “auxiliary verb + the main verb in the infinitive, past participle, or gerund“.
For example, the part in bold here is a verb phrase: Tinham deixado aqui uma cadeiraThey had left a chair here as it is the combination of an auxiliary verb (tinham, from ter) and a main verb in the past participle (deixado, from deixar).
Now, let’s take a look at how to place clitic object pronouns when the main verb is in the infinitive or gerund form, compared to how to place them when the main verb is in its past participle form.
Main Verb in the Infinitive (or Gerund)
In the first example below, we have the verb phrase quer mostrar, composed of the auxiliary verb (quer, from querer) and the main verb in the infinitive (mostrar).
The most common way to place the clitic in this case is after the main verb (mostrar). This usually happens in affirmative sentences, or whenever there’s not a so-called ‘magnetic’ word that would require you to place it before the verb.
Ele quer mostrar-me um desenhoHe wants to show me a drawing *preferred
However, it’s also correct if you place the clitic pronoun after the auxiliary verb separated by a hyphen, as shown below.
Ele quer-me mostrar um desenhoHe wants to show me a drawing
Estás-te a queixar de quê?What are you(sing.,inf.) complaining about?
If the auxiliary verb is in the future tense, the clitic pronoun can be placed after the main verb, or in the middle of the auxiliary verb.
Ele quererá mostrar-me um desenhoHe will want to show me a drawing
Ele querer-me-á mostrar um desenhoHe will want to show me a drawing
With temporal auxiliary verbs (ir and haver de) and modal auxiliary verbs (poder, dever, ter de, ter que), the clitic pronouns can be placed before or after the main verb, as such:
- Tens de me ajudar com estas caixasYou have to help me with these boxes
- Tens de ajudar-me com estas caixasYou have to help me with these boxes
For aspectual auxiliary verbs (começar, acabar, estar, continuar, etc.), the clitic pronoun can go after the auxiliary or after the main verb, but there is some variability in where exactly is the preferred placement, so we’ll mark those details below with an asterisk:
- Comecei a vestir-meI started getting dressed *preferred
- Comecei-me a vestirI started getting dressed
- A minha vizinha deixou de me falarMy neighbor(fem.) stopped talking to me *preferred after de for terminative auxiliary verbs, such as deixar and acabar
- A minha vizinha deixou-me de falarMy neighbor(fem.) stopped talking to me
- O meu pai acabou de ligar-teMy father just called you on the phone
- O meu irmão está a ajudá-loMy brother is helping him *preferred after main verb for durative auxiliary verbs, such as estar, ir, andar, continuar, etc.
What About ‘Magnetic’ Words?
Sometimes we have a “magnetic” word, such as não, which “pulls” the clitic pronoun before the verb. (We discuss magnetic words more in this Learning Note). (“Magnetic” is not an official term, but since it applies to multiple categories of words, it’s a simpler way to talk about it.) When auxiliary verbs come into play, the magnetic word (não) and the clitic (te) usually go before the entire verb phrase (quer mostrar). This is the most common way to say it:
However, as you can see below, it’s also technically correct to place it after the main verb in the infinitive, as such:
Main Verb in the Past Participle
When the main verb is in the part participle, the clitic pronoun always goes with the auxiliary verb:
- after it, if there’s no “magnetic” word
- before it, if there is a “magnetic” word (usually negative sentences)
This comes up a lot when using compound tenses and the passive voice.
Let’s see some examples using the auxiliary verb tem (from ter) and the past participle mostrado (from mostrar):
- Ela tem-me mostrado os desenhos delaShe has been showing me her drawings
- Ela não me tem mostrado os desenhos delaShe hasn't been showing me her drawings
Another example set:
- Este casaco foi-me oferecidoThis jacket was given to me
- Este casaco não me foi oferecidoThis jacket was not given to me
Just as before, if the auxiliary verb is in the future tense, the clitic pronoun goes in the middle of the verb.
Note: If you’re unsure whether you need to use a hyphen (-) or not, remember that anytime the pronoun is between verbs, you need to use a hyphen.
Summary
As you can tell, there is a lot of variability in terms of what is acceptable and/or most common is each particular context. However, if you just remember the following, it will help you get by in most situations:
⭐️ Main verb in the infinitive or gerund:
- In most affirmative sentences, you can place the clitic pronoun after the auxiliary verb or after the main verb, but after the main verb is more common.
- If there is a ‘magnetic word’, it comes before the whole verb phrase and typically pulls the clitic pronoun with it.
⭐️ Main verb in the past participle:
- In most affirmative sentences, the clitic pronoun goes after the auxiliary verb.
- If there is a ‘magnetic word’, it comes before the whole verb phrase and typically pulls the clitic pronoun with it.
Good explanation, examples, and formatting made this interesting and useful!
Well explained and look forward to getting to level where I need to use it!
Do you have a lesson somehwere that demonstrates how to convert a single word from a verb to a noun…or an adverb…or an adjective…or a past participle…or a present participle/gerund…etc?
That coould be a BIG SHORT CUT in how to use one word in many different forms.
EXAMPLE: Cortar…Cortando…Cortado…Cortareira(?)….Cortamente(?)…Cortan(?)…etc.
No, we don’t have a lesson like that. But it’s a good idea! I’ll add it to our list. 😊
Thank you. Exercises on this point of grammar would be really helpful.
Why are both of these correct?
Ele não te quer mostrar o desenho – this given all the rules around placement of Object Pronouns I understand
Ele não quer mostrar-te o desenho – this I don’t
Both sentences are correct due to the flexibility of the clitic pronoun placement in European Portuguese. The pronoun can either precede the main verb (“Ele não te quer mostrar o desenho”) or follow and attach to the infinitive verb (“Ele não quer mostrar-te o desenho”). This second structure is possible because the negative word “não” allows the clitic pronoun to be placed after the infinitive, even within the same clause.
However, as we mention, the first sentence is the preferred and most correct form! The second one is only technically correct.
Thank you, Relógio.
But then why teach inversion? only so that we recognise what is happening or is that there instances where it has to happen and the second form “Ele não quer mostrar-te o desenho”, is not correct?
When going through grammar topics, we do our best to cover different patterns that people might see, while still pointing out what is more correct or preferable in each case, if applicable. As noted in this Learning Note, the placement of clitic pronouns before verb phrases is the preferred form in the presence of magnetic words. Placing them after the verb phrase, while not being a full-on error, is not the most grammatically sound option. In the absence of magnetic words, the other rules of placement described apply.
My patchy Portuguese learning to date, interrupted by pandemic, surviving, working, needs organisation and revision. Practice Portuguese is a unique resource, however, I want to revise e.g. modal verbs, see and hear examples, check my understanding. A site wide search produces one article on clitic pronouns. Is there a better way to search? Thank you!
Good question! We are working on a Unit about Auxiliary Verbs, which includes modal verbs. It’s almost finished, but there are still a couple more things to do before we can launch it. In the meantime, I just went ahead and published the Learning Note that will go with that Unit. 🤫 It is missing a couple of the audio recordings and we may make more tweaks before the Unit is launched, but I figured we should go ahead and put it out there. 🙂 Here’s a link: Auxiliary Verbs Keep an eye out for the Unit in the future! (Also, you can use the Verbs section to practice those verbs.)
You gave the example ‘Tens de me ajudar com estas caixas’. If the ‘pronome pessoal complemento direto’ here was the third person (so ‘it’), would the ‘de’ of ‘ter de’ contract with the ‘o’ or ‘a’, or not? Here’s an example:
‘Eu fiz-te um bolo de aniversário. Tens de o comer.’
What I’m asking is, should it be ‘tens de o comer’ or ‘tens do comer’?
Olá! It should always be “Tens de o comer”, because the preposition ‘de’ does not contract with object pronouns. It contracts with definite articles, which just so happen to look the same as 3rd-person object pronouns (o, a, os, as) – we need to tell them apart by the grammatical context 🙂
Muito obrigada
My problem is that my mind defaults to comparing with Spanish or French, and I get confused because Portuguese offers more options than either French or Spanish in placement of direct and indirect pronouns. Do you possibly have a chart of comparison at least with Spanish? I am trying to departmentalize, but it isn’t easy. ;-(
Unfortunately, we do not have comparison charts in Spanish. Our platform is mostly English -> Portuguese based, so there’s only a very limited content in other languages. When we have it translated – Shorties and Learning Notes – you’ll see it available at the top of the page.
If it helps, here’s what we have on Clitic Pronouns in French:
https://www.practiceportuguese.com/fr/learning-notes/les-pronoms-clitiques-nos-vos/
https://www.practiceportuguese.com/fr/learning-notes/les-pronoms-clitiques-me-te/
https://www.practiceportuguese.com/fr/learning-notes/les-pronoms-clitiques-complements-dobjet-direct-et-indirect/
🙂