Natural object pronouns in spoken Brazilian Portuguese

In brief

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, people often say ele or ela after a verb when they mean ‘him’ or ‘her’. This is natural in casual conversation, even though formal writing usually calls for a different construction. You can also repeat the person’s name, or leave out an object that is already clear from the conversation.

Form

In casual speech: verb + ele/ela for a person; alternatively, repeat the name or omit an understood object.

Usage

• Use ele or ela for a person in informal conversation: Vi ela ontem (‘I saw her yesterday’).
• Repeat the name when that sounds clearer, especially if more than one person is being discussed.
• If the object is obvious from the question, a short answer can leave it unspoken.

Examples

• Você viu a Bia? Vi ela na estação. — Did you see Bia? I saw her at the station.
• Você encontrou o Pedro? Encontrei ele no mercado. — Did you run into Pedro? I ran into him at the market.
• Você comprou o pão? Já comprei. — Did you buy the bread? I already bought it.
• Eu vi a Mariana ontem. — I saw Mariana yesterday.

Remember

Ele and ela as objects belong to casual spoken Brazilian Portuguese; choose a more formal construction for formal writing.