Direct and indirect objects in a sentence

In brief

In a sentence such as ‘Ana entregou o livro para Pedro’, the direct object (o livro) is what Ana handed over; the indirect object (para Pedro) identifies the recipient. Brazilian Portuguese commonly introduces a recipient with para or a rather than placing two objects side by side as English can.

Form

Subject + verb + direct object + a/para + recipient: Ela deu o livro para o amigo. With a, combine it with a definite article when needed: a + o = ao; a + a = à.

Usage

• Ask ‘what?’ to find the direct object and ‘to whom?’ to find the recipient.
• With verbs such as dar, entregar, mandar and mostrar, put the thing transferred before the recipient in this common pattern.
• Choose the preposition that fits the verb and meaning; a and para can both mark a recipient in many everyday sentences.

Examples

• Eu dei um presente para minha amiga. — I gave my friend a present.
• A professora entregou os livros aos alunos. — The teacher handed the books to the students.
• Ela mostrou as fotos para o irmão. — She showed the photos to her brother.

Common mistake

❌ Eu dei minha amiga um presente.

✅ Eu dei um presente para minha amiga.

English allows ‘I gave my friend a present’, but in this Portuguese pattern the recipient needs a preposition such as para or a.

Remember

The direct object is the thing given or shown; the indirect object names its recipient.