Objeto direto de 3ª pessoa: o/a/os/as e as formas -lo/-la e -no
Objeto direto de 3ª pessoa: o/a/os/as e as formas -lo/-la e -no means “The written-norm 3rd-person object clitic o/a/os/as, which becomes -lo/-la after -r/-s/-z and -no/-na after a nasal — but speech avoids it”. In the written norm, o, a, os, as replace a 3rd-person direct object: Comprei o livro → Comprei-o; Vi a Ana → Vi-a. Formation: V + o/a/os/as · após -r/-s/-z: cai a consoante → -lo/-la (fazê-lo, comprá-la, pô-los) · após nasal -m/-ão/-õe: -no/-na (viram-no, põe-no)
The written-norm 3rd-person object clitic o/a/os/as, which becomes -lo/-la after -r/-s/-z and -no/-na after a nasal — but speech avoids it
B2Formation
V + o/a/os/as · após -r/-s/-z: cai a consoante → -lo/-la (fazê-lo, comprá-la, pô-los) · após nasal -m/-ão/-õe: -no/-na (viram-no, põe-no)
Explanation
In the written norm, o, a, os, as replace a 3rd-person direct object: Comprei o livro → Comprei-o; Vi a Ana → Vi-a. When the verb ends in -r, -s or -z, that consonant drops and the clitic gains an l: fazer + o → fazê-lo, comprar + a → comprá-la, pôr + os → pô-los, fez + o → fê-lo, fiz + o → fi-lo (note the accent that lands on the now-final vowel). When the verb ends in a nasal (-m, -ão, -õe), the clitic instead takes an n: viram + o → viram-no, põe + o → põe-no. Here is the crucial Brazilian reality: this whole system is essentially literary and formal-written — in everyday speech nobody says comprei-o or vou fazê-lo. Speakers say comprei ele, drop the object entirely (comprei ∅), or just repeat the noun, so you learn these shapes to read and write formally, not to talk. This is also a sharp divergence from Spanish, which keeps lo/la freely in speech (lo compré) while Portuguese speech reaches for ele or nothing.
Examples
Note
Say the forms out loud but expect them mostly in print. In conversation the same two sentences become vou tentar fazer and resolvi comprar (null object) or resolvi comprar ela. Don't confuse -lo (verb + clitic) with the article o: fazê-lo is one word, faz o dever is two.
FAQ
Objeto direto de 3ª pessoa: o/a/os/as e as formas -lo/-la e -no — what does it mean and how is it used?
The written-norm 3rd-person object clitic o/a/os/as, which becomes -lo/-la after -r/-s/-z and -no/-na after a nasal — but speech avoids it. In the written norm, o, a, os, as replace a 3rd-person direct object: Comprei o livro → Comprei-o; Vi a Ana → Vi-a. When the verb ends in -r, -s or -z, that consonant drops and the clitic gains an l: fazer + o → fazê-lo, comprar + a → comprá-la, pôr + os → pô-los, fez + o → fê-lo, fiz + o → fi-lo (note the accent that lands on the now-final vowel). When the verb ends in a nasal (-m, -ão, -õe), the clitic instead takes an n: viram + o → viram-no, põe + o → põe-no. Here is the crucial Brazilian reality: this whole system is essentially literary and formal-written — in everyday speech nobody says comprei-o or vou fazê-lo. Speakers say comprei ele, drop the object entirely (comprei ∅), or just repeat the noun, so you learn these shapes to read and write formally, not to talk. This is also a sharp divergence from Spanish, which keeps lo/la freely in speech (lo compré) while Portuguese speech reaches for ele or nothing.
Objeto direto de 3ª pessoa: o/a/os/as e as formas -lo/-la e -no — how do you form it?
V + o/a/os/as · após -r/-s/-z: cai a consoante → -lo/-la (fazê-lo, comprá-la, pô-los) · após nasal -m/-ão/-õe: -no/-na (viram-no, põe-no)
Objeto direto de 3ª pessoa: o/a/os/as e as formas -lo/-la e -no — any usage notes?
Say the forms out loud but expect them mostly in print. In conversation the same two sentences become vou tentar fazer and resolvi comprar (null object) or resolvi comprar ela. Don't confuse -lo (verb + clitic) with the article o: fazê-lo is one word, faz o dever is two.