Pronoun Placement with Inf

When a verb is in the infinitive, it isn't tied to a specific person or time. It's the "base" form. Because of this, it doesn't "pull" the pronoun as strongly as a conjugated verb does. In most cases, you can place the pronoun before the verb (proclisis) or after it (enclisis). If you place it after, you use a hyphen. For example, para te ver and para ver-te both mean "to see you." In Brazil, para te ver is very common in speech. In Portugal, para ver-te is the standard. However, there is a special rule for the pronouns o, a, os, and as. When these follow an infinitive, the verb loses its final -r. Then, the pronoun changes to lo, la, los, or las. So, ver + o becomes vê-lo. It sounds sophisticated, right? It's like putting on a nice blazer for a meeting. Even native speakers mess this up sometimes, so don't sweat it too much! The key is the rhythm of the sentence.

1. 1Setting this up is like following a simple recipe. Here are the steps for the most common "formal" way (enclisis):
2. 2Take your infinitive verb, like ajudar (to help).
3. 3Decide which pronoun you need, like me (me).
4. 4Add a hyphen and the pronoun: ajudar-me.
5. 5Now, if you are using o, a, os, or as, follow these extra steps:
6. 6Take the verb fazer (to do/make).
7. 7Drop the final -r: faze.
8. 8Add an accent if needed for pronunciation: fazê.
9. 9Add a hyphen and the new pronoun form: fazê-lo.
10. 10If you prefer the "informal" or "Brazilian" style (proclisis):
11. 11Just put the pronoun before the verb: me ajudar or o fazer.
12. 12No hyphens needed here! It’s like a grammar traffic light that’s always green.

This pattern is your best friend in several real-world situations. Imagine you are in a job interview. You want to say, "I am here to help you." You could say, "Estou aqui para ajudá-lo." It sounds professional and sharp. Or maybe you are at a restaurant. You want to tell your friend you will call them later. "Vou te ligar mais tarde" is perfect and friendly. Use it when you have two verbs together (verbal chains). For example, "Quero te dizer uma coisa" (I want to tell you something). It's also vital after prepositions. Words like para, de, em, and por love infinitives. "É difícil nos entender" (It's hard to understand us). Using these correctly makes your Portuguese flow like a calm river instead of a choppy sea.

You should avoid putting the pronoun after the infinitive if there is a "magnetic" word before it. These are words that pull the pronoun toward them. Negative words like não, nunca, or jamais are very strong magnets. While para não ver-te is technically possible, para não te ver sounds much more natural to everyone. Also, avoid the lo/la forms in very casual speech in Brazil. If you are hanging out at a barbecue, saying vou fazê-lo might make you sound like a 19th-century poet. Stick to vou fazer isso or just vou fazer. Context is everything! Don't use enclisis at the very start of a sentence if you can help it, though with infinitives, this is rarely an issue.

The biggest trap is the "disappearing R." Many students forget to drop the -r when adding lo or la. They say fazer-lo instead of fazê-lo. That -rl- sound is a bit of a tongue twister! Another mistake is using the wrong accent. Remember, verbs ending in -ar get an acute accent (á), and -er verbs get a circumflex (ê). Verbs in -ir like abrir don't need an accent: abri-lo. Also, watch out for the "double pronoun." Sometimes people get confused and put the pronoun in two places: me quero te ver. Pick one spot and stay there! It's not a grammar party where everyone is invited to the same spot.

How does this differ from conjugated verbs? With a verb like amo (I love), you usually say eu te amo or amo-te. There is less freedom. With the infinitive amar, you have much more wiggle room. Also, compare it to the gerund (-ando, -endo). The rules are similar, but the lo/la forms are strictly for infinitives and a few other specific cases. Infinitives are the "cool teenagers" of Portuguese grammar—they don't like following strict rules as much as the "adult" conjugated verbs do. Understanding this flexibility will save you a lot of stress when you're speaking on the fly.