Lo, La, Los, Las (After Infinitives)

In Portuguese, direct object pronouns usually sit before the verb. We call this proclisis. But infinitives change the game. An infinitive is the base form of a verb. It always ends in r. When we attach a pronoun to these verbs, things get interesting. The final r of the verb is dropped. It simply disappears into thin air. To replace it, we add an l to the pronoun. So, o becomes lo. This is not just a random rule. It is all about the sound. Portuguese speakers hate harsh transitions. Dropping the r and adding l creates a melodic bridge. It prevents two vowels from clashing together. It makes the language sound like a song. This pattern is very common in European Portuguese. In Brazil, it is mostly used in writing or formal speech. However, knowing it is essential for any B1 learner. It is the key to reading novels and news articles.

1. 1Creating these forms follows a very strict recipe. Follow these steps to get it right every time:
2. 2Start with your infinitive verb, like comprar (to buy).
3. 3Identify the object you want to replace. Let's say o carro (the car).
4. 4Remove the final r from the verb. Now you have compra.
5. 5Apply the correct accent mark to the last vowel. This is crucial!
6. 6For -ar verbs, use an acute accent: á. Example: comprá.
7. 7For -er verbs, use a circumflex accent: ê. Example: vendê.
8. 8For -ir verbs, no accent is usually needed. Example: abri.
9. 9Attach the pronoun with a hyphen. Change o to lo.
10. 10Final result: comprá-lo (to buy it).
11. 11Think of the accent as a little hat. It protects the verb's sound now that the r is gone. Without the accent, the word would sound completely different. It is a small detail with a huge impact.

Use this pattern whenever you have an infinitive verb. This often happens after auxiliary verbs. These are verbs like querer (to want), poder (to be able to), or ir (to go). Imagine you are in a job interview. You want to say, "I can do it." You would say, posso fazê-lo. It sounds professional and confident. Or imagine you are at a fancy dinner. You want to say, "I would like to taste it." You say, gostaria de prová-lo. It is polite and refined. You will also see this in instructions. A recipe might say, deve batê-lo por cinco minutos (you should beat it for five minutes). It is the standard for formal writing. If you are writing an essay or a business email, use this. It shows you respect the language's formal structure. It is like wearing a suit to a wedding. It just fits the occasion perfectly.

Do not use this if the pronoun comes before the verb. If there is a "magnet word" like não or que, the pronoun moves. You would say não o quero instead of quero-o. In that case, the l never appears. The l only exists because of the r. If the verb does not end in r, s, or z, don't use it. For example, with ele ama, you just say ele ama-o. There is no r to drop, so no l is needed. Also, avoid this in very casual Brazilian slang. In a beach bar in Rio, you might just say quero ver ele. Using vê-lo there might make you sound like a 19th-century poet. Context is everything! Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Only go for the lo/la when the infinitive light is green.

The most common mistake is forgetting to drop the r. Learners often say fazer-lo. This sounds very clunky to a native ear. It is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Another big one is skipping the accent. Fazê-lo needs that little "hat" on the e. Without it, the stress falls on the wrong syllable. Don't forget that -ir verbs are the rebels. They drop the r but usually don't want an accent. Abri-lo is correct, not abrí-lo. Finally, watch your genders. If you are talking about a mala (the suitcase), you must use la. Saying comprá-lo for a feminine object is a classic slip-up. Even native speakers mess this up when they are tired. Don't be too hard on yourself!

You might encounter the no, na, nos, and nas forms. These are cousins of our lo/la friends. But they have different tastes. They only appear after nasal sounds. If a verb ends in -m or -ão, use the n version. For example, compram + o becomes compram-no. Our lo/la pattern is strictly for verbs ending in r, s, or z. Think of it as a family of pronouns. They have divided the territory. The l team takes the infinitives. The n team takes the nasal endings. They never cross into each other's lanes. Understanding this distinction is what separates a B1 learner from a beginner. It is all about the ending of the verb that comes right before.