European Portuguese Word Order: Strong Yoda, You Are?

European Portuguese word order, you know? If not… learning more, you must!

Jokes aside, knowing the word order in Portuguese can be really helpful, as it will help make you sound more natural, and more like a native speaker.

I have good news and not so good news: In general, Portuguese word order is pretty straightforward (especially if you are an English speaker), as it follows the same kind of rules. BUT (there is always a but with Portuguese, huh?), there are certain things that you will have to pay attention to if you don’t want to sound weird, or like a robot (or a Jedi, who knows?).

So, in this blog post, I will help you navigate the somewhat complicated (at times!) topic of Portuguese word order. Let’s go!

European Portuguese Word Order: SVO?

Let’s start with the easiest part: in general, Portuguese follows a SVO (or Subject, Verb, Object) word order. This means that, normally, when native speaker of Portuguese speak or write, they will tend to put the subject of the sentence first, then the verb and then the object.

So, they will generally say something like:

O cão comeu a comida.

What they won’t generally do is, for example:

Comeu o cão a comida.

In this last example, the verb comes before the noun, which in everyday conversations might sound a little bit off (unless you are doing it with a certain intention, which I will speak about later).

So, as a rule of thumb and when you’re not sure of what to do with the word order, you can stick to SVO. It’s generally safe!

Defying European Portuguese Word Order: When Things Gets Flexible (and Sound Like Yoda)

Now, as I mentioned, there is a BUT. In fact, Portuguese speakers do change the word order from time to time. Normally, there is a specific intention behind this. Below you’ll see when this happens.

Emphasis or Style: sometimes native speakers invert the word order to put focus on something, or to sound more dramatic:

Isso, limpo eu todos os dias! (That, I clean everyday!)

Com ele, não falo eu mais! (With him, I am not talking anymore!)

Here the speaker is fronting certain words, or even the verb, because he wants to put focus on that! You can really play with the words like this, especially when you want to be dramatic! Just don’t overdo it, because you might come across as a real Jedi!

Inversion in Questions: sometimes, when asking a question, the Portuguese word order is changed:

Tens fome tu? (Are YOU hungry?)

Vai ele à festa? (Is HE going to the party?)

Again, with questions we can also invert the subject and the verb order for focus on the subject. This happens when we are trying to make a point, or when we are trying to be dramatic. So, again, it happens a lot for style or drama. Aren’t the Portuguese dramatic?

For example, regarding the second example, I would have used this sentence with the verb-subject inversion, in a situation like this: someone has to go to the party, either me or the other person (in this case a guy).

However, another person that knows us both says “Ah, ele disse que se não queres ir à festa, que não tens que ir.” (He said that if you don’t want to go to the party, that you don’t have to go!). Hearing this, I could easily use the sentence “E o quê?! Vai ELE à festa?” (And what?! Does HE go to the party?).

I am trying to convey the meaning that if I don’t go, then he has to, so I am asking if he is ready to go instead of me, as one of us has to. Also, it seems that if I say this, I am in disbelief that he wants or is going to go to the party.

Fronting for Context: sometimes, if Portuguese speakers want to set the context of what they are saying, they will front details – like the location or the time of something:

Para a semana, vou à praia. (Next week, I go to the beach)

No Porto, come-se bem! (In Porto, one eats well!)

Portuguese Adjectives: Why They Come After The Nouns (Most of The Time)

In general, in Portuguese the adjectives come usually after the nouns (unlike in English). Like this:

Uma casa bonita! (A beautiful house!)

Um homem alto. (A tall man.)

However, this is not always the case. Sometimes we invert the order and make the adjective come before than the noun. We do this when we want to change the meaning, and give more emphasis to the sentence. For example:

Um grande homem! (A great man.)

Uma boa lição. (A great lesson.)

Take a look at the following table:

*Um homem grande.* (A big man.)	Um grande homem. (A great man.)
*Um certo problema.* (A certain problem.)	Um problema certo. (A sure problem.)

Do you see? Not only the word order inverts, but also the meaning! Isn’t this wild?

Clitic Pronouns: The Little Words That Defy European Portuguese Word Order

If you have heard about the clitics in Portuguese, you are probably familiar with the fact that they are not very easy to use. In terms of where they come in the sentence, they are also not the easiest little words to accommodate.

Often, they attach to the verbs, and come after, like this:

Eu vi-o. (I saw him.)

Vou falar-te do meu pai. (I will tell you about my father.)

But sometimes they come before the verb, especially:

In negative sentences – Não o vi. (I didn’t see him.)

After certain conjunctions – Se me derem tempo… (If you give me time…)

With other “attracting” words – like Quando, Onde, Ainda, Só, etc.

Let’s be honest: these clitic guys are never too easy, so they deserve their own blog post. But, for now, you have the basics!

Practice Time: Can You Fix These?

Practice a little bit by putting the following sentences in the correct European Portuguese Word Order:

Feliz estou hoje. → ________
Com ele falas nunca. → ________
O livro leste? → ________

Try correcting these Yoda-style sentences into everyday Portuguese, and write your answer in the comments below.

Conclusion: European Portuguese Word Order, You Now Understand

In conclusion, Portuguese word order doesn’t have to be too complicated, or a mystery. Stick to SVO order most of the time, and you should be fine. Once you’re more fluent in Portuguese, you can start experimenting with changing the order a little bit, so you can sound more dramatic, if you wish.

And remember: if you sound like Yoda by accident, that just means you’re on your way to Portuguese fluency. Or the Jedi Council. Either works.

Are you ready to put learn more about this topic? Join my All-In-One Portuguese Course or sign up for my free newsletter to get grammar tips, cheat sheets, and lots of laughs delivered straight to your inbox!