Portuguese Pronouns: Demonstratives & Relatives Usage

Understanding Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Portuguese help point out people or things in relation to the speaker and listener, or in text and time. Their main functions are:

Key Demonstrative Pronouns

• Este, Esta, Isto (This, These - near the speaker)
• Esse, Essa, Isso (That, Those - near the listener or recently mentioned)
• Aquele, Aquela, Aquilo (That, Those - far from both speaker and listener)

Uses of Este, Esta, Isto (This/These)

• Spatial Reference: Indicates something close to the speaker. Example: Este livro aqui é meu. (This book here is mine.)
• Textual Reference (Cataphoric): Refers to something that will be stated next. Example: Minha opinião é esta: devemos prosseguir. (My opinion is this: we should proceed.)
• Temporal Reference: Indicates the present time or a time very close to the present. Example: Esta semana está corrida. (This week is busy.)

Uses of Esse, Essa, Isso (That/Those)

• Spatial Reference: Indicates something close to the listener. Example: Esse casaco que você está usando é bonito. (That coat you are wearing is beautiful.)
• Textual Reference (Anaphoric): Refers to something already mentioned. Example: Você falou sobre a viagem. Isso me interessou muito. (You talked about the trip. That interested me a lot.)
• Temporal Reference: Indicates a recent past or near future time. Example: Nesse último ano, aprendi muito. (In this past year, I learned a lot.) / A filial abrirá nessa quinta-feira. (The branch will open this Thursday.)

Uses of Aquele, Aquela, Aquilo (That/Those - distant)

• Spatial Reference: Indicates something far from both the speaker and the listener. Example: O que é aquilo lá no fim da rua? (What is that over there at the end of the street?)
• Temporal Reference: Refers to a remote past time. Example: Naquele tempo, a vida era diferente. (In those days, life was different.)

Distinguishing Between Previously Mentioned Items

When referring to two previously mentioned items or individuals in a text:

• Aquele/Aquela (That/The former): Refers to the first-mentioned element.
• Este/Esta (This/The latter): Refers to the last-mentioned element.

Example: Renoir e Van Gogh são pintores geniais. Este (Van Gogh, the latter) nasceu na Holanda, e aquele (Renoir, the former) na França.

(This means: Renoir → France; Van Gogh → Netherlands.)

Understanding Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns connect a dependent clause to a main clause by referring to an antecedent (a noun or pronoun). Key relative pronouns in Portuguese include:

• Que (that, which, who)
• Quem (who, whom)
• Onde / Aonde (where / to where)
• Cujo, Cuja, Cujos, Cujas (whose)
• O qual, A qual, Os quais, As quais (which, that, who, whom - often interchangeable with que but can provide clarity or formality)

Uses of Relative Pronouns

A. Que (That, Which, Who)

The pronoun que is very versatile and can refer to people or things.

• Example 1: Os jovens que sonham e lutam conquistam seus ideais. (The young people who dream and fight conquer their ideals.)
• Example 2: Nossa alegria, que era grande, aumentou! (Our joy, which was great, increased!)

Sometimes, a preposition (e.g., em, de, com) is required before que, depending on the verb or noun that follows.

• Example: Estes são os fatos em que todos confiam. (These are the facts in which everyone trusts.)
  • (The verb confiar requires the preposition em: quem confia, confia em algo/alguém - who trusts, trusts in something/someone.)

B. Quem (Who, Whom)

The pronoun quem is used to refer to people and is generally preceded by a preposition.

• Example: O gerente é o único funcionário em quem você confia? (The manager is the only employee in whom you trust?)
  • (The verb confiar requires the preposition em: quem confia, confia em alguém - who trusts, trusts in someone.)

C. Cujo, Cuja, Cujos, Cujas (Whose)

The pronoun cujo (and its variations: cuja, cujos, cujas) is used between two nouns to establish an idea of possession. It agrees in gender and number with the possessed item, not the possessor.

• Example: Este é o aluno cuja prova sumiu. (This is the student whose test disappeared.)
  • (Here, cuja prova means "a prova do aluno" - the test of the student. Prova is feminine singular, so cuja is used.)

D. Onde (Where) and Aonde (To Where)

1. Onde (Where)

Onde is used to indicate a place and is equivalent to em que (in which). It is used with verbs that indicate a static location or require the preposition em.

• Example: Conheço a cidade onde você trabalha. (I know the city where you work.)
  • (The verb trabalhar implies location: trabalhar em um lugar - to work in a place.)

2. Aonde (To Where)

Aonde is used to indicate movement towards a place and is equivalent to a que (to which). It is used with verbs of motion that require the preposition a.

• Example: Conheço a cidade aonde ele irá amanhã. (I know the city to where he will go tomorrow.)
  • (The verb ir implies motion towards: ir a algum lugar - to go to a place.)