Portuguese · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 44
Um presente para vocêA gift for you
Parties and celebrations. Vocabulary: a festa, o presente, o aniversário, o convite, o Natal, dar, receber, oferecer, comemorar, os parabéns. Key point: the INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS — the "to whom" of the sentence. With verbs of giving and telling, the question is "a quem?" (to whom?): eu dou um presente A ELA (I give a gift to her). The pronouns are: me (to me), te (to you), LHE (to him/her, or formal "to you"), nos (to us), LHES (to them). In chapter 40 you saw the direct object (the "what": o/a); now comes the indirect (the "to whom"). Position: before the verb — "Eu LHE dou um presente" (I give him/her a gift), "Ela ME deu os parabéns" (She wished me congratulations). In spoken Brazil, it is very common to replace "lhe" with "para ele / para ela / para você" AFTER the verb: "Eu dou um presente PARA ELA". Classic English-speaker mistake: English says "I give her a gift", with no preposition and the person before the thing; so the learner says "Eu dou ela um presente" ✗. In Portuguese: "Eu lhe dou um presente" ✓ or "Eu dou um presente para ela" ✓.
Dialogue
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
Dar ela / dar para ela
- LucasSábado é o aniversário da Bia. Você já pensou no presente?Saturday is Bia's birthday. Have you thought about the gift?
- MikeJá! Eu vou dar ela um livro.Yes! I'm going to give her a book. (slip: English order, no preposition — Portuguese needs "para ela" or "lhe")
- LucasQuase! Em português não se diz "dar ela". Diga "dar um livro PARA ela", ou, mais formal, "dar-LHE um livro".Almost! In Portuguese you don't say "dar ela". Say "dar um livro PARA ela", or, more formal, "dar-LHE um livro".
- MikeAh, preciso de um "para" ou de "lhe"! Então: vou dar um livro para ela.Ah, I need a "para" or "lhe"! So: I'm going to give a book to her.
- LucasIsso mesmo! No dia a dia, "para ela" soa mais natural. E o que você vai escrever no cartão?Exactly! In everyday speech, "para ela" sounds more natural. And what are you going to write on the card?
- MikeVou escrever "Parabéns!" e dar o cartão para ela junto com o livro.I'll write "Parabéns!" (Happy birthday!) and give her the card together with the book.
Dialogue
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
Na festa de aniversário— At the birthday party
- BiaQue festa linda! Obrigada por me convidar, Lucas.What a lovely party! Thank you for inviting me, Lucas.
- LucasImagina! Olha, o pessoal já te deu os presentes?Don't mention it! Look, have people already given you the gifts?
- BiaAlguns! A Ana me deu um livro e o Pedro me ofereceu flores.Some! Ana gave me a book and Pedro offered me flowers.
- LucasQue bom! E eu também tenho uma coisinha para você. Toma.How nice! And I also have a little something for you. Here.
- BiaPara mim? Não precisava! Posso abrir agora?For me? You shouldn't have! May I open it now?
- LucasClaro! E depois vamos cantar os parabéns e cortar o bolo.Of course! And then we're going to sing happy birthday and cut the cake.
Vocabulary
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
- a festa
n.f.party
- o presente
n.m.gift, present
- o aniversário
n.m.birthday, anniversary
- o convite
n.m.invitation
- o Natal
n.m.Christmas
- dar
verbto give
- receber
verbto receive, get
- oferecer
verbto offer, give (as a gift)
- comemorar
verbto celebrate
- os parabéns
n.m.pl.congratulations, happy birthday
- o bolo
n.m.cake
- convidar
verbto invite
- feliz
adjectivehappy
Grammar
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
Indirect object: me, te, lhe, nos, lhes (to whom)
Explanation
In chapter 40 you learned the DIRECT object (the "what": o/a). Now comes the INDIRECT object — the "to whom". It appears with verbs of giving and telling: dar, oferecer, mandar, dizer, mostrar, comprar. The question is "a quem?" (to whom?): eu dou um presente A ELA (I give a gift to her). The indirect pronouns are: me (to me), te (to you), LHE (to him/her, or formal "to you"), nos (to us), LHES (to them). "Lhe" and "lhes" are new — they serve both for "to him/her" and for the formal "senhor/senhora". As in chapter 40, the pronoun comes BEFORE the verb: "Eu LHE dou os parabéns" (I wish him/her congratulations), "Ela ME deu um presente" (She gave me a gift), "Nós LHE oferecemos um bolo" (We offered him/her a cake). BUT — and this is very Brazilian — in everyday speech almost no one uses "lhe": it is replaced by "para ele / para ela / para você" AFTER the verb. So "Eu lhe dou um presente" (more formal) = "Eu dou um presente para ela" (spoken). Both are correct; choose by tone. The classic English MISTAKE: English says "I give her a gift" — no preposition and the person before the thing. Translated literally it becomes "Eu dou ela um presente" ✗, which sounds wrong. Say "Eu lhe dou um presente" ✓ or "Eu dou um presente para ela" ✓. Tip: if you can put an "a/para" before the person, it is an indirect object.
Examples
- Amanhã é o aniversário da Bia; eu vou dar um presente para ela.Tomorrow is Bia's birthday; I am going to give her a gift.
- Ela me deu os parabéns e me ofereceu um bolo.She wished me congratulations and offered me a cake.
- Nós lhe mandamos um convite para a festa.We sent him/her an invitation to the party.
- O que você vai dar para os seus pais no Natal?What are you going to give your parents at Christmas?
- Comprei uma lembrança e vou oferecer para você.I bought a keepsake and I am going to give it to you.
Want to actually learn this — with audio, spaced repetition and progress tracking?
Study in the app →