Brazilian Portuguese Grammar

Transitive and intransitive verbs

Portuguese transitive verbs require one or two complements to complete their meaning. There are two types of verb complements: objeto direto (direct object) and objeto indireto (indirect object).

Verbs which require a direct object are called verbos transitivos diretos, and those which require an indirect object - a complement connected to the verb thhhrough a preposition - are called verbos transitivos indiretos. There are also verbs which require both complements, verbos transitivos diretos e indiretos (ditransitive verbs), and verbs which don't need any complement at all, called verbos intransitivos.

Verb transitivity is one of the most complicated issues for Portuguese learners to tackle, because:

You can't predict what preposition must accompany a verb;
You can use different prepositions with a single verb.

Keep in mind that English and Portuguese verbs may bear different transitivity, so consult a dictionary to clear your doubts.

Examples *verbo transitivo direto* *objeto direto*
Portuguese	English	Example	Translation
amar	love	Eu te amo.	I love you.
beber	drink	Guto bebeu seis taças de vinho tinto na festa.	Guto drank six glasses of red wine at the party.
comer	eat	Nós comemos pizza ontem à noite.	We ate pizza last night.
falar	speak	Ela fala flamengo muito bem.	She speaks Flemish very well.
Direct objects must come after verbs, when they are morphologically nouns or pronouns, but can come before the verb (próclise), within the verb (mesóclise), or after the verb (ênclise) when they are unstressed object pronouns. Click here for further information on object pronouns & placement rules. *Only the following atonic object pronouns can function as direct object: me, te, se, o, a, nos, vos, os, as.*
beijar	kiss	Eu a beijei.	I kissed her.
beijar	kiss	Ela o beijou.	She kissed him.