Before learning this concept, I used to try and say things like “I gave the book to him,” as Eu dei o livro… para ele. It felt clunky. I knew it sounded like a bad translation but I had no other way of saying it.
Then I’d start to notice how my Portuguese friends would say similar things. I never heard them say para ele. They’d instead use a tiny, quick sound that seemed like the secret sauce.
(I admit I couldn’t understand them at first but I eventually figured it out)
“lhe.”
“lhes.”
Weird as it sounds coming from a non-Portuguese mouth, it’s helpful and makes you sound a lot more impressive once you get it down.
The Efficiency Hack
I try to think of Lhe less as a grammar rule and more as a compression tool.
In English, we use two words (“to him” or “to her”). In Portuguese, you compress that concept into a single sound: lhe. It makes your sentences faster and smoother.
If you feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of pronouns, I have a bigger map in my guide to making sense of Portuguese pronouns, but today we are strictly focusing on the “Receiver.”
The Pizza Test
Before we look at the table, you must ensure you are using this for the right person. You have to pass the Pizza Test.
Imagine you are giving a pizza to your friend João.
- The Pizza is the thing being moved (Direct Object).
- João is the person receiving the pizza (Indirect Object).
“Lhe” is ONLY for João.
You can never use lhe for the pizza itself. You can’t lhe a pizza. You can only lhe the person receiving it.
The Logic Map
The rules are simpler than they seem. Here is the conversion chart:
| Receiver | The Estrangeiro Way | The “Smart” Fix |
|---|---|---|
To me-me | O João deu a caneta a mim. (João gave the pen to me.) | O João deu-me a caneta. (João gave me the pen.) |
To you-te | Ele pediu um favor a ti. (He asked a favor of you.) | Ele pediu-te um favor. (He asked you a favor.) |
To him / her-lhe | Mandei uma mensagem ao João. (I sent a message to João.) | Mandei-lhe uma mensagem. (I sent him a message.) |
To them-lhes | Ele telefonou às amigas. (He phoned [to] the friends.) | Ele telefonou-lhes. (He phoned them.) |
Context Note Notice how the “Smart” version cuts the preposition a (“to”) entirely. You do not send to him; you send him. It’s the same as in English.
[!tip] Pro Tip Try to get in the habit of dropping the Eu, Tu, Você, etc and letting the conjugations speak for themselves.
For example, instead of Eu mandei-lhe, just say Mandei-lhe. It is faster and sounds more native.
[!warning] Also… About “Você” In conjugation charts, you’ll always notice that Você fits in the same row as Ele/Ela. This means if you are being polite to a stranger or a boss, you’d use lhe.
However: While “Você” is the category, be careful about saying the actual word “você” to someone’s face. I’ve been told that in many parts of Portugal, it can sound almost aggressive or crudely direct. This is where dropping it can be a good idea (and more native anyways).
Using ‘lhe’ is the safest bet for polite interactions.
The Top 5 “Lhe” Verbs
While obviously you might need to use this for many things throughout life, I’ve been told that a lot of the time, lhe pops up with one of these five verbs:
- Dar (To give)
- Dei-lhe o dinheiro. (I gave him the money.)
- Dizer (To say/tell)
- Disse-lhe a verdade. (I told him the truth.)
- Pedir (To ask for/request)
- Ele pediu-lhe um favor. (He asked him for a favor.)
- Perguntar (To ask a question)
- Podes perguntar-lhe quando é que ele vem? (Can you ask him when he is coming?)
- Telefonar (To call)
- Ela nunca lhes telefona. (She never calls them.)
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So… Where Do You Put It?
This is where I (still have) a hard time, to be honest.
In standard European Portuguese, the pronoun usually goes after the verb, connected by a hyphen. This is the same as in English.
- Dei-lhe a chave. (I gave him the key).
But certain words act like Magnets. They pull the pronoun from the end of the verb to the front. If you miss this, you’re immediately outed.
The three biggest magnets are Negatives, Questions, and Adverbs.
| Type | Portuguese Example | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Dei-lhe a chave. | Normal placement (after verb). |
| Negative | Não lhe dei a chave. | ”Não” pulls “lhe” to the front. |
| Question | Quando é que lhe deste a chave? | ”Quando” pulls “lhe” to the front. |
| Adverb | Já lhe dei a chave. | ”Já” (Already) pulls “lhe” to the front. |
[!note] Other Adverbs Watch out for words like ainda (still), sempre (always), and talvez (maybe). They are all magnetic.
- Eu sempre lhe disse isso. (I always told him that.)
Also, in case you’re wondering… when the pronoun comes after, you include a hyphen. “Dei-lhe”, “dar-me”, etc.
BUT when the magnet pulls the pronoun in front, you drop the hyphen as well. “Não lhe dei”, “Já lhe dei” etc.
Negative words, questions, and adverbs are magnetic. They pull the pronoun to the front and remove the hyphen.
The Plural Trap
Don’t get lazy with the plural. If you are talking about “Eles” (Them) or “Vocês” (You guys), you must use Lhes.
- Ele telefonou às amigas. (He called his friends.)
- Ele telefonou-lhes. (He called them.)
If you forget the ‘s’, you are suddenly talking to just one person. That makes the story very confusing.
Next time you want to say “Vou dar o livro ao meu pai,” stop yourself. Compress it.
“Vou dar-lhe o livro.”
It saves breath, and it makes you sound like you actually live here.
Frequently Asked Questions
[!faq]- Can I use “para ele” instead of “lhe”? You will be understood, but it’s obviously incorrect. “Para” indicates movement or direction (Vou para Lisboa). When you give something to someone, use the preposition “a” (Dei o livro a ele).
I believe that “Para ele” is common in Brazilian Portugeuse, but in Portugal, stick to “a ele” or the superior shortcut: lhe.
[!faq]- Does “lhe” change for gender? No, this is the best part. “Lhe” works for “him,” “her,” and “you” (formal). You don’t have to worry about changing it to match the gender of the person you are talking to. You just understand it contextually.
[!faq]- What if I have two pronouns, like “give it to him”? When you combine a direct object (o/a) with an indirect object (lhe), they fuse together. Lhe + o becomes lho. For example, “Dei-lho” (I gave it to him). Don’t worry about that yet. That’s coming in a future article. Master “lhe” first.
[!faq]- Why you might sometimes see “dar-lhe” and sometimes “lhe dar” “Dar-lhe” is standard European Portuguese. “Lhe dar” is Brazilian usage. However, as mentioned above, if there is a Magnet word like “não”, “que”, or “já” before the verb, European Portuguese also puts the pronoun first (Não lhe dou).
