Subject pronouns and optional subjects

In brief

Subject pronouns tell you who does something: eu (I), você (you), ele/ela (he/she), nós (we), vocês (you all) and eles/elas (they). In Brazilian Portuguese, you can sometimes leave the subject pronoun out when the verb and context make the person clear. Unlike English, you do not always need to say ‘I’ before a verb.

Form

Subject pronoun + matching verb: Eu moro aqui. If the subject is clear: Moro aqui.

Usage

• Use a pronoun to introduce someone or make clear who you mean.
• Leave it out when the listener already knows who you mean; this is especially easy with eu or nós.
• Keep the pronoun if leaving it out would make the subject unclear: ela and você can take the same verb form.

Examples

• Eu moro aqui. — I live here.
• Moro aqui. — I live here.
• Ela trabalha hoje. — She works today.
• Nós moramos perto. — We live nearby.

Remember

You can omit a clear subject, but a pronoun helps when several people could be meant.