I understand that generally "você" is preferred over "tu".
Does the preference for the third person also carry over to personal pronouns i.e. are "o", "a", "lhe", "se" preferred over "te"?
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3It depends on the region. In most dialects you'd hear in Brazilian TV and YouTube, te is more common than o, a, lhe for the second person. But, at least where I live, se is commonly used. Personally, I've never liked using o, a, lhe for você, I've just used it for the third person. By the way, I believe tomorrow you'll get more seen.– SchiliveOct 24, 2021 at 14:17
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That's an answer, @Lambie.– stafusa ♦Oct 24, 2021 at 20:06
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1 Answer
"tu" is used in some areas (north and south) and você in other places (for verb pronouns). se would only be used with reflexives verbs.
- Você foi a feira hoje? [Usually with pronoun but can be without it.]
- (Tu) Foste a feira hoje? [note the lack of a pronoun here.]
For example, "Eu a vi na rua". and "Eu lhe disse isso ontem." are said in "linguagem popular" (colloquial speech)
"Eu vi ela na rua." and "Eu disse isso a/para você ontem".
Also, the te is used for lhe or você: "Eu te disse isso ontem", even where the você is being used by the person in his or her speech to address someone. This usage is very colloquial and common. One of the most common expressions: Já te falei isso. or "Já te disse isso. O que [é que] você acha?"
The se is used with reflexives in the third person: Ele se cortou com aquela faca que está na mesa. [se cortar=to cut oneself]
So to answer the question: Brazilians don't avoid the "tu" personal pronoun form of the verb. There are simply regions where it is used and regions where it is not used.
