Learning pronouns in Portuguese, a Romance language spoken primarily in Portugal and Brazil, is crucial for mastering both spoken and written communication. Portuguese pronouns are characterized by their forms according to person, number, gender (in some cases), and case. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Portuguese replace nouns referring to people or things and are used based on the person being referred to.

Subject Pronouns:

• Eu (I): “Eu estou aprendendo.” – I am learning.
• Tu/Você (You – singular informal/formal): “Tu estás aprendendo.” / “Você está aprendendo.” – You are learning.
• Ele/Ela (He/She): “Ele está trabalhando.” / “Ela está trabalhando.” – He is working. / She is working.
• Nós (We): “Nós estamos estudando.” – We are studying.
• Vós/Vocês (You – plural informal/formal): “Vós estais aprendendo.” / “Vocês estão aprendendo.” – You are learning.
• Eles/Elas (They – masculine/feminine): “Eles estão jogando.” / “Elas estão jogando.” – They are playing.

Object Pronouns (Direct and Indirect):

• Me/Mim (Me): “Ele me viu.” / “Ele deu o livro para mim.” – He saw me. / He gave the book to me.
• Te/Ti (You – singular): “Eu te chamei.” / “Eu dei o presente para ti.” – I called you. / I gave the gift to you.
• O/A/Lhe (Him/Her): “Eu o vi.” / “Eu lhe disse.” – I saw him. / I told her.
• Nos (Us): “Ele nos encontrou.” – He found us.
• Vos/Vocês (You – plural): “Eu vos chamei.” / “Eu dei os presentes para vocês.” – I called you. / I gave the presents to you.
• Os/As/Lhes (Them): “Eu os vi.” / “Eu lhes disse.” – I saw them. / I told them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Portuguese indicate ownership and agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.

• Meu/Minha (My): “Meu carro.” / “Minha casa.” – My car. / My house.
• Teu/Tua (Your – singular informal): “Teu livro.” / “Tua caneta.” – Your book. / Your pen.
• Seu/Sua (Your – singular formal, His/Her): “Seu trabalho.” / “Sua resposta.” – Your work. / His/Her answer.
• Nosso/Nossa (Our): “Nosso filho.” / “Nossa filha.” – Our son. / Our daughter.
• Vosso/Vossa (Your – plural informal): “Vosso time.” / “Vossa escola.” – Your team. / Your school.
• Seu/Sua (Their): “Seu problema.” / “Sua solução.” – Their problem. / Their solution.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Portuguese point to specific nouns and vary based on distance from the speaker.

• Este/Esta (This – close to the speaker): “Este livro.” / “Esta caneta.” – This book. / This pen.
• Esse/Essa (That – close to the listener): “Esse problema.” / “Essa solução.” – That problem. / That solution.
• Aquele/Aquela (That – far from both speaker and listener): “Aquele dia.” / “Aquela noite.” – That day. / That night.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Portuguese are used when the subject performs an action upon itself.

• Me (Myself): “Eu me vi no espelho.” – I saw myself in the mirror.
• Te (Yourself): “Tu te lavaste?” – Did you wash yourself?
• Se (Himself/Herself/Yourself formal/Itself/Themselves): “Ele se machucou.” – He hurt himself.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• Quem (Who): “Quem está lá?” – Who is there?
• O que/Que (What): “O que você fez?” – What did you do?
• Qual (Which): “Qual é o seu nome?” – What is your name?
• Quanto/Quanta (How much): “Quanto custa?” – How much does it cost?

Understanding and correctly using Portuguese pronouns is vital for navigating both simple and complex conversations. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations or writing exercises to apply these concepts actively. Remember, context and the nuances of Portuguese grammar play a significant role in choosing the correct pronoun form.