How to Use “Me” in Portuguese Before and After Verbs

Introduction

Understanding how to use me in Portuguese is essential for clear, natural speech. In Brazilian Portuguese, me is a clitic pronoun that can appear before or after verbs, and its position changes with tense, mood, and sentence structure. This article explains when and why me comes before or after verbs, with practical examples and useful notes for English-speaking learners.

What is the pronoun me in Portuguese?

Me is the first person singular indirect or direct object pronoun in Brazilian Portuguese, equivalent to me or to me in English. It replaces meu irmão, para mim, or me in English sentences. Example:

O professor viu me. — This is grammatically incorrect in Portuguese; the correct form shown below.

O professor me viu.

Basic rule: proclisis or mesoclisis and ênclise

Portuguese uses three basic positions for clitic pronouns: proclisis (before the verb), ênclise (after the verb), and mesóclise (inside the verb, with future tense forms). In Brazilian Portuguese, proclisis is very common; ênclise appears in specific contexts; mesóclise is rare in spoken Brazilian Portuguese but shows up in formal or written language.

Proclisis: me before the verb

Use me before the verb in many everyday contexts. Proclisis is used when certain words attract the pronoun to come before the verb. These attractors include negative words, question words, subordinating conjunctions, adverbs, and relative pronouns. Examples:

Não me viu. — He did not see me.

Você me viu? — Did you see me?

Quando me ligou, eu estava ocupado. — When he called me, I was busy.

Alguém me chamou. — Someone called me.

Ele sempre me ajuda. — He always helps me.

Enclisis: me after the verb

Use me after the verb in contexts where no attractor is present, especially when the verb begins the sentence or clause. In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, enclisis is less common than proclisis but still appears in many constructions and is often used with infinitives, gerunds, or imperative forms.

Viu-me is technically correct in European Portuguese literary style, but in Brazilian Portuguese you would say:

Viu-me — avoid this; instead say Ele me viu.

Fale me — actually say Fale comigo for clarity in many contexts, but in direct imperative with clitic, use me after: Dê-me o livro is formal; in spoken Brazilian Portuguese people prefer Me dá o livro or Me dê o livro depending on formality.

Me with different verb forms

Understanding how me behaves with infinitives, gerunds, participles, and imperatives helps you sound natural. Below are the common patterns.

Infinitive verbs

With the infinitive, Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses enclisis when the infinitive stands alone, but proclisis when there is an attractor. Example:

Ele quer me ver. — He wants to see me. (enclitic is acceptable)

Não vai me ver. — He will not see me. (proclisis because of negative vai?)

Note that with modal verbs like querer, poder, dever, both positions can be heard in spoken language, but proclisis is frequent when negative or other attractors appear.

Gerund (progressive) forms

With gerunds, Brazilian Portuguese commonly places the pronoun before the auxiliary verb estar or after the gerund depending on emphasis. Examples:

Ele está me ajudando. — He is helping me. (proclisis with auxiliary)

Ele está ajudando-me — this is less natural in spoken Brazilian Portuguese and is rarely used.

Comeram-me while rare — Em geral, avoid enclisis after gerunds; use me before the auxiliary.

Past participles and compound tenses

When using compound tenses with ter or estar, place me before the auxiliary verb:

Ele me tinha visto. — He had seen me.

Eu me tenho sentido bem. — I have been feeling well. (This form is formal; more commonly: Tenho me sentido bem.)

Imperative mood (commands)

Imperatives behave differently for affirmative and negative commands.

Affirmative command: enclisis is expected for direct commands to someone you address with tu, você, or vocês. Example:

Me dê o livro. — Give me the book. (formal or polite: Dê-me o livro is more formal)

Me traz o café. — Bring me the coffee. (colloquial spoken: Me traz)

Negative command: proclisis is mandatory. Place me before the verb and use não. Example:

Não me dê o livro. — Do not give me the book.

Pronoun placement with compound verbs and auxiliaries

In compound verbs, place me before the auxiliary verb in Brazilian Portuguese. This keeps the clitic attached to the auxiliary and sounds natural.

Ele me vai ajudar is awkward in Brazilian Portuguese; instead say Ele vai me ajudar. — He is going to help me.

Tenho me sentido cansado. — I have been feeling tired. (commonly used)

Negative and question forms

Negatives and questions almost always require proclisis. Place me before the verb.

Você não me disse? — You did not tell me?

Por que me chamou? — Why did you call me?

Clitic combinations: me with object pronouns

Me can combine with other pronouns in certain constructions, but Brazilian Portuguese avoids long clusters. If both direct and indirect objects are needed, word order often changes or nouns are repeated for clarity.

Ele me deu o presente. — He gave me the present. (single object pronoun)

Ele deu-me-o — archaic and unnatural in Brazilian Portuguese; instead say Ele me deu-o? No. Better: Ele me deu o presente.

Reflexive constructions

When me is reflexive, it appears before the verb in most contexts:

Eu me vejo no espelho. — I see myself in the mirror.

Vou me levantar cedo. — I will get up early. (proclisis for emphasis or due to auxiliary)

Stylistic and regional notes

Brazilian Portuguese favors proclisis in everyday speech. Enclisis and mesoclisis are more common in European Portuguese or in formal, literary Brazilian Portuguese. When in doubt, place me before the verb in spoken Brazilian Portuguese and informal writing.

Formal written Portuguese may use mesoclisis in future indicative: Dir-me-ei means I will say to myself or I will say (archaic). In modern Brazilian usage, say Vou dizer or Direi to avoid complex clitic placement.

Colloquial variability

In many regions of Brazil, speakers use me at the beginning of a clause or before auxiliary verbs: Me conta a história is very natural colloquially for Tell me the story. Using me after the verb in spoken Brazilian Portuguese often sounds stiff or overly formal.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

English speakers often place pronouns where English does, which may be wrong in Portuguese. Remember these tips:

– Avoid putting me after a main verb when a negative word, question word, or subordinating conjunction appears. Use proclisis.

– In negative commands, always use proclisis: Não me faça isso. — Do not do this to me.

– For affirmative commands directed at você or tu, enclisis is acceptable in formal contexts, but colloquial Brazilian Portuguese often uses me before or after depending on emphasis: Me diz a verdade or Diz-me a verdade (archaic).

– With compound tenses, place me before the auxiliary: Ela me tinha chamado, not Ela tinha me chamado? Both are used, but the former is clearer in writing.

Examples in everyday Brazilian Portuguese

Below are practical sentences showing natural placement of me:

Você me conhece? — Do you know me?

Não me conte isso. — Do not tell me that.

Ele vai me ajudar amanhã. — He will help me tomorrow.

Me avise quando chegar. — Let me know when you arrive. (colloquial)

Por favor, me envie o relatório. — Please send me the report.

Eu me lembro daquele dia. — I remember that day.

Diga-me a verdade. — Tell me the truth. (formal; colloquial: Me diga a verdade or Me conta a verdade)

Cultural note on politeness

Using me with verbs can affect tone. In formal writing or polite speech, you might see me placed after the verb with hyphenation in older or European forms, but in Brazil, polite requests often rely on full phrases like por favor, poderia me enviar to soften the request rather than changing pronoun position.

Quick reference rules

– Use me before the verb (proclisis): after negatives, question words, adverbs, subordinating conjunctions, and in subordinate clauses.

– Use me after the verb (ênclise) when the verb starts the clause and no attractor is present, especially in affirmative commands in formal contexts.

– In compound tenses, place me before the auxiliary verb.

– For negative commands, always place me before the verb.

– When speaking Brazilian Portuguese casually, proclisis is usually natural and safe.

Conclusion

Mastering the position of me in Portuguese takes practice, but the main idea is simple: place me before the verb in negative sentences, questions, subordinate clauses, and most spoken Brazilian contexts; place it after the verb primarily in formal or written contexts and in some affirmative commands. Listening to native Brazilian speakers and practicing common phrases will help you internalize natural placement quickly.