Do you know the rules of pronominal placement? We know that there are standards to be respected, but there is a specific case that usually generates many doubts: a pronominal placement between two verbs. After all, how should it be done?
This doubt happens because we are strongly influenced by the way we speak, and the way we speak affects our writing. Most of the time, this influence is the biggest cause of errors, but, in this case, it is necessary to make a more comprehensive analysis than the one that classifies what is right and what is wrong. In Brazil, it is common to use constructions such as “I'll tell you”, “I want to warn you”, “I'm calling you” etc. However, in Portuguese spoken in Portugal, this type of construction that allows the pronoun to be loose between two verbs is not admitted, and thus some more "reactionary" grammarians abhor the lack of a hyphen between pronoun and verb. From the perspective of these grammarians, the correct thing would be “I'll tell you”, “I want to warn you”, “I'm calling you” etc.
However, it is necessary that we look at the question sparingly: should we write according to Portuguese from Portugal or according to Portuguese from Brazil? Just because we “brazilianize” the pronominal placement does it mean that we are making a mistake? Well, contrary to language purists, some more attentive Brazilian grammarians make an interesting observation about placement pronominal and its rules: the pronouns must follow the condition of intelligibility, that is, if they make sense in the sentence, the placement is correct. Pronouns stand alone, no one needs to know the rules for using them. Here we have a Portugal x Brazil issue and, to avoid further annoyance, many authors prefer to follow the norm of Portuguese critics.
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It is important that we know the two versions about the controversial pronominal placement between two verbs and, as some grammarians advise us, to avoid fatigue with the language purists (even because the various competitions usually follow their precepts), it is interesting to choose the placement of the hyphen, although the lack of it, in these cases, is not wrong. However, it is noteworthy that the Brazilian pronunciation is not inferior to the Lusitanian one, just different — and more spontaneous.
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PEREZ, Luana Castro Alves. "Pronominal placement between verbs"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/colocacao-pronominal-entre-verbos.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
