Reflexive Pronouns in Portuguese

16 de May de 2013

Friends, today we are going to study the reflexive pronouns in Portuguese.

First, let’s take a look at the reflexive pronouns:

Reflexive Pronouns in Portuguese

The reflexive pronouns are used with reflexive verbs. The idea is to explain that the person who does the action is also the one who receives the result of that action.

Eu Me Myself
VocΓͺ Se Yourself
Ele/ela Se Himself / Herself
NΓ³s Nos Ourselves
VocΓͺs Se Yourselves
Eles/elas Se Themselves

Now, let’s take a look at some examplesΒ using these reflexive pronouns:

Examples

EuΒ meΒ visto comΒ roupas sociais.
I dress (myself) in smart clothes.

Como vocΓͺΒ seΒ sujou tanto?
How did you make yourself so dirty?

EleΒ seΒ queimou demais na praia.
He tanned (himself) way too much on the beach.

ElaΒ seΒ sente mal porque comeu algo ruim.
She is feelingΒ sick because she ate something that had gone bad.

NΓ³sΒ nosΒ decidimos sobre a questΓ£o proposta.
We decided (by ourselves)Β about the question proposed.

VocΓͺsΒ seΒ levantaram cedo hoje?
Did you get (yourself) up early today?

ElesΒ seΒ beijaram no fim do encontro.
They kissed (each other)Β at the end of the date.

ElasΒ seΒ queixaram com o gerente do restaurante sobre o mal atendimento do garΓ§om.
They complained to the restaurant’s manager about the waiter’s mistreatment.

The pronounΒ te in Portuguese

When thinking about grammar, the correct reflexive pronoun in Portuguese for the second person (tu/vocΓͺ) is the pronounΒ te.Β But this pronoun was used with the wordΒ tu, and since the language evolved over time, Brazilians don’t often use tuΒ anymore. Instead of using tu they prefer to use vocΓͺ. The pronounΒ tu is used in some states of Brazil but still it’s is not very common overall. In Rio, for example, we almost don’t use it. And if we do use it, we never conjugate it correctly!

Therefore, the correct use would be to use vocΓͺ and the reflexive pronoun se,Β instead of usingΒ tu andΒ te.Β 

Other reflexives words

Eu Mim mesmo/ eu mesmo Myself
VocΓͺ VocΓͺ mesmo Yourself
Ele/ela Ele mesmo/ ela mesma / si mesmo Himself / Herself
NΓ³s NΓ³s mesmos Ourselves
VocΓͺs VocΓͺs mesmos Yourselves
Eles/elas Eles mesmos/ elas mesmas Themselves

In Portuguese we have other words to talk about reflexive actions too. We often use the wordsΒ mesmo (and its variations) and em pessoa to say that some action is reflexive.

When using the adjectives mesmo andΒ mesma,Β notice that the adjective has to be according to the gender and number (plural or singular) of the subject/s.

Examples

Foi ele mesmo que atendeu o telefone.
He answered the phone himself.

A palestra foi feita por Maria em pessoa.
The talk was presented by Maria herself.

O rei visitou a escola em pessoa.
The king himself visited the school.Β 

Eu mesma construΓ­ minha casa.
I built my house myself.

When we useΒ em pessoa we are often saying that someone did somethingΒ in person.

ReciprocalΒ Pronouns in Portuguese

Reciprocal Pronouns in Portuguese. Os estudantes se ajudam durante a aula.

In some cases it is also possible to have a reciprocal pronoun. It is used when each of two or more subjects are acting in the same way towards each other. Β The same action is executed by both parties toward each other.

Example

NΓ³sΒ nosΒ encontramos ontem. (Eu encontrei a ele e ele encontrou a mim).
We met each otherΒ yesterday. (I met him and he met me).

ElesΒ seΒ conhecem hΓ‘ muitos anos. (Ele conhece a ela e ela conhece a ele).
They have known each other for many years. (He knows her and she knows him).

Exercise for the reflexive pronouns in Portuguese

Complete the sentences below using the correct pronoun:

  1. Ela _____ vestiu para encontrar o namorado.
  2. Eu nΓ£o _____ sinto muito bem. Vou para casa.
  3. Quando ela passou, os homens _____ viraram para olhar.
  4. VocΓͺs nunca _____ decidem sobre as roupas que vΓ£o usar.
  5. NΓ³s _____ enganamos. Por isso, chamamos na casa errada.
  6. Na festa, todos _____ divertiram muito.
  7. Precisamos _____ despedir. O Γ΄nibus jΓ‘ vai partir.
  8. Eles _____ abraΓ§am, porque sΓ£o amigos.
  9. Eles _____ beijavam, porque sentiam saudades um do outro.
  10. _____ cumprimentamos no inΓ­cio da reuniΓ£o.
  11. NΓ³s _____ despedimos na estaΓ§Γ£o de trem.
  12. NΓ³s nΓ£o _____ falamos ontem, porque nΓ£o tivemos tempo.
  13. A gente _____ viuΒ na praia no domingo passado.
  14. Elas vΓ£o _____ encontrar no calΓ§adΓ£o de Copacabana.

That’s it!
Now, we know all about reflexive pronouns in Portuguese! You can find the answers at the end of our A Dica do Dia.

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Click in the links below to see more related Dicas
Relative Pronouns in Portuguese
Portuguese Personal Pronouns in Portuguese
Personal Pronouns Me and Nos
Personal Pronouns O and A

Exercise about the reflexive pronouns in Portuguese: answers

  1. se
  2. me
  3. se
  4. se
  5. nos
  6. se
  7. nos
  8. se
  9. se
  10. Nos
  11. nos
  12. nos
  13. se
  14. se