Dele, Dela, Nele, and Nela: Portuguese Pronouns After Prepositions — Practice

Combine de with ele or ela for possession and origin

Dele combines de + ele, and dela combines de + ela. They can mean ‘his,’ ‘hers,’ ‘of him/her,’ or ‘from him/her’ depending on the sentence. The form agrees with the person who owns or is connected to something: o livro dele, a mochila dela.

Portuguese also has seu/sua, but those forms can point to different people in a sentence with você, ele, or ela. Dele/dela can make the owner explicit. In Brazilian speech, this is a common way to avoid ambiguity.

Combine em with ele or ela for a place or context

Nele combines em + ele; nela combines em + ela. They can refer to something being in, on, or associated with a person or object: pensei nele (I thought about him), coloquei a etiqueta nela (I put the label on it/her). The exact English preposition depends on the verb and context.

Use the same pattern with other pronouns: em + eles becomes neles, and em + elas becomes nelas. After a verb that needs em, the contraction keeps the preposition connected to the pronoun.

Remember: Dele/dela combine de with a pronoun and often identify an owner. Nele/nela combine em with a pronoun and refer to a person, place, or thing after a phrase that takes em.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. That’s his car.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Esse é o carro dele.

2. Her answer was very clear.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A resposta dela foi muito clara.

3. I received a message from them yesterday.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Recebi uma mensagem deles ontem.

4. I trust him because we work together.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Confio nele porque trabalhamos juntos.

5. The information is in it, on the second page.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A informação está nela, na segunda página.

6. I put the documents in them, in the blue folders.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Coloquei os documentos neles, nas pastas azuis.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Dele/dela combine de with a pronoun and often identify an owner. Nele/nela combine em with a pronoun and refer to a person, place, or thing after a phrase that takes em.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Dele, Dela, Nele, and Nela: Portuguese Pronouns After Prepositions lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.