the pronoun it is a variable grammatical class, that is, it is inflected in gender and number. It has the function of relating the noun to one of the three persons in the speech (who speaks, who is spoken to and who is spoken), and may also indicate the possession of an object or its location. When they substitute the noun, they are called the noun pronoun; when they accompany it, adjective pronoun.
Pronouns are classified into: personal, possessive, demonstrative, interrogative, indefinite and relative. Follow the characteristics of each pronoun below:
1. Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns indicate grammatical persons, also called persons of speech (I, you, he, we, you, them). They can belong to the straight case and the oblique case. For each straight pronoun, there is a corresponding one in the oblique case. See the explanation!
Me →Me, me, with me.
You → You, you, with you.
He → If, o, a, him, si, with you.
We→ Us, with us.
You → You, with you.
They →If, the, the, them, themselves, with you.
The pronouns of the straight case exercise the syntactic function of subject, while those of the oblique case, of complement. Therefore, constructions like: "Did you bring me to eat?" or "This is for me to do" are wrong, because, in both examples, the oblique pronoun is exercising a function that does not belong to it, that of subject. Therefore, for the statements to be grammatically correct, they must be constructed like this: "Did you bring me to eat?" and “This is for me to do”. See below the straight and oblique pronouns exercising their grammatical functions:
I. Lorenzo went on vacation. He will travel. (straight pronoun – subject function)
II. Somebody me called? (oblique pronoun - complement function)
Heads up: The noun pronouns perform the same syntactic functions as the noun, and the adjective pronouns the same as the adjective. It is important to pay attention to this detail!
2. Pronouns treatment
Treatment pronouns indicate an indirect way of addressing our interlocutors (communication partners). These pronouns are divided by degree of formality, therefore, for each context, there is a treatment pronoun to be used. Although they indicate interlocution (conversation), which would indicate the use of the second person of the speech (tu), with the treatment pronouns, the verbs must be used in the third person. See the examples:
I. Your Excellency is late for the session. (Minister)
II. Your Highness is very elegant. (Princess)
III. Do you already know when the office will arrive? (Older people or to whom one owes respect)
IV. You don't even learn! (Indicates informal treatment).
3. Possessive pronoun
Possessive pronouns establish the idea of possession between the object and the three persons in the discourse. Therefore:
1st person in the speech (me) → my, mine, mine, mine.
2nd person of the speech (you) → yours, yours, yours, yours.
3rd person of speech (he) → your, your, your, yours.
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1st person of speech – plural (we) → our, our, our, ours.
2nd person of the speech – plural (you)→ yours, yours, yours, yours.
3rd person of speech – plural (they) → your, your, your, yours.
See the examples:
I. The car is mine. (Object belongs to the 1st person of the speech - me)
II. Our house is beautiful. (Object belongs to the 1st person of the speech - us)
III. Your clothes are dirty. (Object belongs to the 3rd person of the speech – he? Is it over there)
*Gender and number of possessives agree with the possessed object.
Ex. João, Your t-shirt is beautiful.
*The treatment pronouns use the possessive pronouns in the 3rd person.
Ex. You must forward your request as soon as possible.
4. Demonstrative pronoun
Indicates the location of beings in relation to space and time. It is also related to the three people in the discourse, determining the proximity between them and the object. It flexes in gender and number.
1st person → this, this, these, these, this (The beings or objects are close to the speaker).
2nd person → this, this, these, these, this (The beings or objects are close to the person you are talking to).
3rd person → that, that, those, those, that (The beings are far from both the sender (who speaks) and the receiver (who is spoken to)).
Ex.:
My bag is that one.
This is my pen.
That shirt is dirty.
5. Indefinite Pronoun
Indefinite pronouns are used to demonstrate imprecision or indeterminacy, for this reason, they always refer to the 3rd person of the speech. They can be variable (they undergo changes in terms of gender and number) or invariable (they do not inflected). When accompanying the noun, they will be adjective pronouns, therefore, they will exercise the syntactic function of the adjective. When they replace the noun, they will therefore be a noun pronoun, therefore, they will perform the same syntactic functions as the noun. See the examples:
Somebody called me? (noun pronoun)
Manypeopleneed assistance. (adjective pronoun)
Follow the list of undefined pronouns:
Variables: some, quite, right, much, none, other, little, any, so much, all, one, several, how much.
Invariables: each, nothing, nobody, somebody, something, somebody, everything, who, too much.
6. Relative pronouns
Relative pronouns are given this name because they relate to the previous term and have the function of replacing it. They are necessary to avoid unnecessary repetition of terms. See the examples:
This is the company I told you about.
The house where I live is beautiful.
I don't know the person you gave the letter to.
Relative pronouns can be variable or invariant. Look:
Variables: which, whose, how much.
Invariables: who, who, where.
By Mayra Pavan
Graduated in Letters