B1 Portuguese GrammarGenitive Case
Express possession and relationships between nouns in Portuguese. Learn the preposition de for possession (o livro do João), contractions with articles (de + o = do), and alternative possessive constructions. Portuguese has no case endings but uses de extensively.
1De for Possession
Portuguese expresses possession with de (of). The structure is: possessed + de + possessor. Unlike English, there's no apostrophe-s: "John's book" = "o livro do João" (the book of John). De contracts with definite articles: de + o = do, de + a = da, de + os = dos, de + as = das.
Contractions with De
| de + | Contraction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| o | do | do pai (of the father) |
| a | da | da mãe (of the mother) |
| os | dos | dos alunos (of the students) |
| as | das | das crianças (of the children) |
Examples
A casa da Maria é grande.
Maria's house is big.
de + a = da (Maria's)
O carro do meu irmão é novo.
My brother's car is new.
de + o = do (my brother's)
As chaves dos vizinhos estão aqui.
The neighbors' keys are here.
de + os = dos (the neighbors')
O nome dela é Ana.
Her name is Ana.
de + ela = dela (informal for her)
2De + Pronouns (Dele, Dela, Deles, Delas)
To clarify possession with third persons, Portuguese uses de + pronoun: dele (his), dela (her/hers), deles (their - masc.), delas (their - fem.). These come after the noun and are more specific than seu/sua which can be ambiguous (your, his, her, their).
De + Pronoun Forms
| de + | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ele | dele | his / of him |
| ela | dela | her(s) / of her |
| eles | deles | their (masc.) / of them |
| elas | delas | their (fem.) / of them |
Examples
O gato dele é preto.
His cat is black.
dele = his (unambiguous)
A amiga dela é médica.
Her friend is a doctor.
dela = her (clear it's feminine)
A casa deles fica no centro.
Their house is in the center.
deles = their (masculine group)
É um problema delas, não nosso.
It's their problem, not ours.
delas = their (feminine group)
3De for Origin, Material, Content
De expresses more than possession: origin (sou de Lisboa - I'm from Lisbon), material (mesa de madeira - wooden table), content (copo de água - glass of water), purpose (sala de aula - classroom). These uses parallel English "of" or "from."
Uses of De Beyond Possession
| Use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | ser de + place | Sou de Portugal. |
| Material | de + material | anel de ouro |
| Content | de + content | copo de vinho |
| Purpose | de + purpose | sala de estar |
Examples
Esta blusa é de seda.
This blouse is made of silk.
de + material
Quero um copo de água, por favor.
I want a glass of water, please.
de + content
De onde és?
Where are you from?
de + origin (question)
A sala de jantar é espaçosa.
The dining room is spacious.
de + purpose (sala de jantar)
4Double Possession and Complex Structures
Multiple possessives chain with de: o carro do pai da Maria (Maria's father's car). In relative clauses, cujo/cuja replaces de + relative: a mulher cujo marido... (the woman whose husband...). Questions use de quem: De quem é isto? (Whose is this?).
Complex Possession Patterns
| Structure | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Chain | X de Y de Z | o amigo do filho dela |
| Question | De quem...? | De quem é este livro? |
| Relative | cujo/cuja | O homem cujo carro... |
Examples
A casa dos pais da minha mulher é antiga.
My wife's parents' house is old.
Chain: dos pais da minha mulher
De quem são estas malas?
Whose bags are these?
De quem = whose (question)
O escritor cujos livros admiro vem cá.
The writer whose books I admire is coming here.
cujos = whose (relative, plural)
A opinião do diretor do banco foi clara.
The bank director's opinion was clear.
Double de construction