Subject Omission
In Portuguese, it is common to omit the subject in the following situations:
- When it is clear from the context or verb ending:
- Eu vou ao mercado. ➡ Vou ao mercado. (I am going to the market.)
It’s important to note that, the pronoun tends to be used whenever it is needed to clarify the correct subject, in those cases where the verb form is the same for two or more subjects:
- 🙋 Eu disse que sim. (I said yes.)
- 👍 Ele disse que sim. (He said yes.)
- When the subject doesn’t refer to anyone in particular:
- 💬 Dizem que as pessoas inteligentes aprendem com os erros. (They [unknown] say that smart people learn from their mistakes.)
- 🛏️ Aluga-se quarto. (Rooms for rent.)
- When the verb is impersonal or is used in impersonal expressions:
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Vou ao mercado, está frio, aluga-se quarto. When Portuguese drops the subject pronoun altogether, and the few times you still have to say it.
Written for level A2–B1. Every lesson has its own, anywhere from A1 to B2.
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