In this lesson, we study indefinite adjectives and pronouns in Portuguese.
Indefinite adjectives describe a noun in a vague or non-specific way, e.g., “outras pessoas” (other people), “cada pessoa” (eachperson), “varias coisas” (several things), “todas as escolas” (all schools), etc.
On the other hand, an indefinite pronoun replaces the noun in a vague and non-specific way, e.g., “Falei com alguém” (I spoke to someone).
Many indefinite pronouns are identical to their indefinite adjective counterpart, e.g., “todo” (all), “outro” (other), “muito(s)” (muchor many), etc.
Unlike most adjectives in Portuguese, indefinite adjectives precede the noun they describe. Some also change form to agree with the noun in gender and number. Indefinite adjectives and pronouns are used abundantly in Portuguese. Thus, it is very useful to learn the most common ones.
List of Indefinite Adjectives and Pronouns in Portuguese
Here is a list of the most common indefinite adjectives and pronouns in Portuguese:
| Meaning | Examples | ||
| demasiado, -a, -os, -as | too much, too many | indef. adj. & pron. | Este carro é demasiado caro. This car is too expensive. |
| uns aos outros | each other | indef. adj. & pron. | Eles devem ajudar uns aos outros. They must help each other. |
| um ou outro uma ou outra | one or the other | indef. adj. & pron. | Você deve escolher uma ou outra dessas casas. You must choose one or the other of these houses. |
| ambos, -as | both | indef. adj. & pron. | Ambas as opções estão disponíveis. Both options are available. |
| nem um(a) nem outro/-a | neither one nor the other | indef. adj. & pron. | Não posso escolher nem um nem outro. I can’t choose neither one nor the other. |
| os outros as outras | the others | indef. pron. | Os outros não estão disponíveis. The others are not available. |
| mesmo, -a, -os, -as | same, self | indef. adj. & pron. | É a mesma pessoa que vimos ontem à noite. It is the same person we saw last night. |
| certo, -a, -os, -as | certain | indef. adj. & pron. | Somente certas pessoas podem fazer isso. Only certain people can do that. |
| outro, -a, -os, -as | other, another | indef. adj. & pron. | Eu gostaria de outro copo de água, por favor. I’d like another glass of water, please. |
| todo, -a | all, every | indef. adj. | Durante todo o ano chove no país. All year round, it rains in the country. |
| todos, -as | all, everybody | indef. adj. | Todos nós somos da Austrália. All of us are from Australia. |
| pouco, -a | little, not much | indef. adj. & pron. | Precisamos de pouco tempo para chegar. We need little time to arrive. |
| poucos, -as | few | indef. adj. & pron. | Ele tem poucos amigos na escola. He has few friends at school. |
| muito, -a, -os, -as | much, many | indef. adj. & pron. | Existem muitas opções para os jovens. There are many options for young people. |
| vários, -as | several | indef. adj. & pron. | Vários campos estão abertos a todos. Several fields are open to everyone. |
| qualquer | any, whichever | indef. adj. & pron. | Dê-me qualquer jornal. Give me any newspaper. |
| próprio, -a, -os, -as | own, self, same | indef. adj. & pron. | Ele fez isso com suas próprias mãos. He did it with his own hands. |
| tal, -is | such a, such | indef. adj. & pron. | Nunca vi tal celebração. I have never seen such a celebration. |
| nenhum, -a | no one, not any | indef. adj. & pron. | Nenhuma das casas era grande. Not any of the houses were big. |
| algum(a), alguns, algumas | some, any, a/an | indef. adj. | Só tenho uma casa e alguns livros. I only have a house and some books. |
| cada | each, every | indef. adj. | Ele limpou cada quarto. He cleaned every room. |
| algo | something | indef. pron. | Quero dizer algo muito importante. I want to say something very important. |
| alguém | somebody | indef. pron. | Conversei com alguém muito interessante. I talked with someone very interesting. |
| nada | nothing | indef. pron. | Não vou fazer nada o dia todo hoje. I am going to do nothing all day today. |
| ninguém | nobody | indef. pron. | Ninguém está no escritório hoje. Nobody is in the office today. |
Indefinite Adjectives vs. Indefinite Pronouns
Note that “cada” (each) can only be used as an indefinite adjective because it is always followed by a noun, e.g., “cada livro” (each book), “cada pessoa” (each person), etc.
On the other hand, “algo” (something), “alguém” (somebody), “nada” (nothing), “os otros/as otras” (the others), and “ninguém” (nobody) can only be used as indefinite pronouns because they cannot be followed by a noun, e.g., “Não passo nada” (Nothing happened).
Next: Present Progressive Tense
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