deles

The Portuguese word deles is a fundamental contraction that every learner must master early in their journey. At its core, it is the combination of the preposition de (meaning 'of') and the third-person masculine plural pronoun eles (meaning 'them'). When these two words merge, they form deles, which translates most directly to 'their' or 'theirs' in English, specifically when referring to a group of males or a mixed-gender group. Understanding this word is crucial because Portuguese handles possession differently than English. While English uses the possessive adjective 'their' before a noun, Portuguese often uses deles after the noun to provide clarity and avoid the ambiguity inherent in the word seu.

Grammatical Composition

It is a contraction of the preposition 'de' and the pronoun 'eles'. It never changes based on the object owned, only based on the owners.

In everyday conversation, you will hear deles used in a variety of contexts, from describing family relationships to identifying ownership of physical objects. For example, if you are talking about a house that belongs to a group of friends (men and women), you would say a casa deles. It is important to note that even if the group includes women, as long as there is at least one male, the masculine plural deles is traditionally used, following the standard gender rules of Romance languages. However, if the group consists exclusively of females, the word would change to delas.

The use of deles is particularly prevalent in Brazilian Portuguese. In Brazil, the word seu (which technically means 'his', 'her', 'their', or 'your') is almost exclusively used to mean 'your'. To avoid confusion, Brazilians use dele (his), dela (hers), deles (their - masculine/mixed), and delas (their - feminine) to specify exactly who the owner is. This makes deles an essential tool for clear communication. Without it, a sentence like 'Eu vi o seu carro' could be misinterpreted as 'I saw your car' when you actually meant 'I saw their car'. By saying 'Eu vi o carro deles', the meaning is unmistakable.

Beyond physical possession, deles is used to indicate origin or association. You might hear someone say a ideia foi deles (the idea was theirs) or nenhum deles (none of them). In these cases, the word functions as a prepositional phrase that defines a relationship between a subject and a group. It is a versatile word that appears in formal writing, casual speech, and even in abstract philosophical discussions. Its frequency in the language is high, making it one of the top 500 most used words in Portuguese. Whether you are reading a news article about a sports team's victory or listening to a podcast about history, deles will be a constant companion in your linguistic journey.

Social Context

Using 'deles' shows a level of precision that is highly valued in both social and professional settings in the Lusophone world.

Finally, it is worth noting that deles does not change its form based on whether the noun it follows is singular or plural. For example, 'the book of them' is o livro deles and 'the books of them' is os livros deles. The 's' at the end of deles is strictly tied to the plurality of the owners (the people who own the thing), not the things being owned. This is a common point of confusion for English speakers who are used to 'their' remaining static regardless of the number of owners. In Portuguese, you must always ensure that you are referring to a group (plural) and that the group contains at least one male (masculine) to use deles correctly.

Mastering the placement and syntax of deles is a key step in moving from a beginner to an intermediate speaker. The most important rule to remember is that deles almost always follows the noun it describes. This is a significant departure from English possessive adjectives like 'their', which always precede the noun. In Portuguese, the structure is: [Article] + [Noun] + [deles]. For example, to say 'their car', you would say o carro deles. This literal structure 'the car of them' is the standard way to express third-person plural possession in most Portuguese-speaking regions, especially Brazil.

Syntactic Structure

[Definite Article] + [Object] + [deles]. Example: A empresa deles (Their company).

One of the nuances of using deles is its interaction with the definite article (o, a, os, as). In Portuguese, possession usually requires an article before the noun. You wouldn't just say 'casa deles'; you would say a casa deles. The article must agree in gender and number with the noun (the object owned), while deles remains constant as long as the owners are a masculine or mixed group. For instance, 'their houses' becomes as casas deles. Notice how as and casas are feminine plural, but deles stays masculine plural because it refers back to the owners, not the houses.

Another common use of deles is in the context of 'some of them' or 'none of them'. In these constructions, deles acts as a partitive pronoun. You might say alguns deles (some of them) or muitos deles (many of them). This is extremely common when discussing groups of people, animals, or even masculine objects. For example, 'I bought five books, and two of them are expensive' would be 'Eu comprei cinco livros, e dois deles são caros'. Here, deles refers back to the masculine noun livros.

In more complex sentences, deles can be used to avoid the ambiguity of the word seu. In Portuguese, seu can mean 'your', 'his', 'her', or 'their'. If you are talking to someone (you) about a third group (them), using seu could lead the listener to think you are talking about something belonging to them (the listener). By using deles, you explicitly point to the third party. For example, 'Eu gosto do seu estilo' (I like your style) vs. 'Eu gosto do estilo deles' (I like their style). This distinction is vital for effective communication and is a hallmark of a proficient speaker.

Comparison with 'Seu'

While 'seu' is a possessive adjective, 'deles' is a possessive pronoun phrase. 'Seu' changes with the object; 'deles' changes with the owner.

Finally, consider the use of deles with verbs that require the preposition de. Many Portuguese verbs, such as gostar (to like), precisar (to need), and lembrar (to remember), are followed by de. When you want to say 'I like them' or 'I need them' (referring to a group of men or mixed objects), you use deles. 'Eu gosto deles' (I like them) or 'Eu preciso deles' (I need them). In these cases, deles is not indicating possession, but is simply the required contraction for the object of the verb. This dual role—both possessive and objective—makes deles a powerhouse word in Portuguese grammar.

The word deles is ubiquitous across the Portuguese-speaking world, from the bustling streets of São Paulo to the historic neighborhoods of Lisbon. However, its frequency and the specific contexts in which it is favored can vary slightly by region. In Brazil, deles is the go-to way to express 'their'. Because the word seu has been largely co-opted to mean 'your' (referring to the person being spoken to), deles is used almost exclusively in speech to refer to a third-party group. You will hear it in every casual conversation: 'O carro deles quebrou' (Their car broke down) or 'A casa deles é longe' (Their house is far).

Regional Usage: Brazil

In Brazil, 'deles' is essential to avoid the 'seu' ambiguity. It is used in all registers of speech, from slang to formal news broadcasts.

In Portugal, the use of seu/sua to mean 'their' is more common in formal writing and traditional speech than it is in Brazil. However, even in Portugal, deles is frequently used in spoken language for clarity. If you are watching a Portuguese soap opera (novela) or a football match, you will hear the commentators frequently using deles. For example, 'O ataque deles é muito forte' (Their attack is very strong). In sports, where groups (teams) are the primary subject, deles is an indispensable part of the vocabulary.

In professional environments, deles is used to discuss departments, companies, or groups of stakeholders. A manager might say, 'O relatório deles está atrasado' (Their report is late). In this context, deles provides a professional distance and clarity. It is also common in legal and academic texts, though in very high-level formal writing, you might see the construction seu(s)/sua(s) used more often, provided the context makes the owner clear. However, for a learner, sticking to deles is always a safe and natural-sounding choice.

Pop culture is another place where deles shines. In Brazilian funk or rap, you might hear it used to refer to 'them'—the rivals, the police, or the 'others'. It creates a clear 'us vs. them' dynamic. Similarly, in social media comments, you'll see people saying things like 'O brilho deles incomoda' (Their shine/success bothers [others]). This usage highlights how deles isn't just a grammatical tool but a way to categorize and discuss groups in society. Whether you are reading a tweet or a classic novel by Machado de Assis, deles is a constant thread in the fabric of the Portuguese language.

Media Context

News anchors use 'deles' to refer to political parties, countries, or organizations, ensuring the audience knows exactly which group is being discussed.

Lastly, you will hear deles in religious contexts. In prayers or sermons, it might refer to 'the ancestors' or 'the people'. For example, 'A fé deles nos guia' (Their faith guides us). This shows the word's ability to span from the most mundane daily tasks to the most profound spiritual expressions. As you listen more to native speakers, you will notice that deles is often pronounced quickly, sometimes sounding like 'de-lis' in certain Brazilian accents, but its grammatical role remains the same: a clear, plural, masculine/mixed possessive marker.

One of the most frequent mistakes English speakers make when learning Portuguese is placing deles before the noun. Because 'their' comes before the noun in English (e.g., 'their house'), students often try to say 'deles casa'. This is incorrect and sounds very unnatural to a native speaker. In Portuguese, the possessive contraction deles must follow the noun. You must say a casa deles. Remembering this 'flipped' order is the first major hurdle for many learners.

Mistake: Word Order

Incorrect: 'Deles carro'. Correct: 'O carro deles'. Always place 'deles' after the object.

Another common error involves gender agreement. Some learners mistakenly think that deles should change to match the gender of the object being owned. For example, they might think that because 'house' (casa) is feminine, they should use delas even if the owners are men. This is incorrect. The word deles or delas only cares about the gender of the **owners**. If two men own a house, it is a casa deles. If two women own a car, it is o carro delas. The object's gender is handled by the article (o/a), not by the possessive contraction.

A third mistake is forgetting the definite article. In English, we say 'their car', not 'the their car'. In Portuguese, however, the article is usually required. Saying 'Carro deles é azul' is technically understandable but sounds 'broken'. The correct way is O carro deles é azul. This requirement of the article (o, a, os, as) before the noun is a habit that takes time for English speakers to develop, but it is essential for sounding fluent.

Learners also struggle with the 'mixed group' rule. In Portuguese, if a group has ninety-nine women and one man, the group is referred to using masculine plural forms. Therefore, you would use deles. Some students, in an attempt to be inclusive or because they see a majority of women, might use delas. While social norms are evolving, grammatically, deles remains the standard for any group that isn't 100% female. Using delas for a mixed group can lead to confusion about who is being included in the conversation.

Mistake: Confusing with 'Seu'

Avoid using 'seu' when you mean 'their' in a conversation where 'your' is also a possibility. 'Deles' is your best friend for clarity.

Finally, some learners forget that deles is also used after certain verbs. They might try to use a direct object pronoun like os instead of deles after a prepositional verb. For example, instead of 'Eu gosto deles' (I like them), they might say 'Eu os gosto'. This is a major grammatical error because the verb gostar requires the preposition de. Whenever a verb or expression requires de, and you are referring to 'them', deles is the only correct choice. Keeping a list of these 'de-verbs' can help you avoid this pitfall.

To truly understand deles, it is helpful to compare it with its counterparts and alternatives. The most obvious 'sibling' word is delas. While deles is used for masculine or mixed-gender groups, delas is used exclusively for groups composed entirely of females. Choosing between these two is purely a matter of knowing the gender of the owners. If you are talking about a group of sisters, use delas. If you are talking about a group of brothers or a group of brothers and sisters, use deles.

Deles vs. Delas

Deles: Masculine/Mixed owners. Delas: 100% Feminine owners. Both follow the noun.

The most common alternative to deles is seu/sua/seus/suas. As mentioned previously, seu is the traditional third-person possessive adjective. In formal literature and in European Portuguese, you will see seu used to mean 'their'. For example, 'Os alunos pegaram seus livros' (The students took their books). However, in modern Brazilian Portuguese, this is often replaced by 'Os alunos pegaram os livros deles' to ensure there is no confusion with 'your books'. If you want to sound more formal or literary, seu is an option, but deles is more practical for daily life.

Another word to consider is próprio (own). Sometimes, to emphasize that something belongs specifically to 'them' and no one else, you might say o seu próprio... or o... deles mesmos. For example, 'Eles têm o seu próprio negócio' (They have their own business) or 'Eles têm um negócio deles mesmos'. This adds a layer of emphasis that deles alone might not convey. Próprio is an adjective and must agree with the noun it modifies (próprio, própria, próprios, próprias).

When referring to possession by 'them' in a way that implies 'belonging to that place' or 'characteristic of them', you might use adjectives like característico or típico. For example, 'um hábito deles' (a habit of theirs) could be phrased as 'um hábito típico daquele grupo'. While not direct synonyms, these phrases can help vary your vocabulary. However, deles remains the most direct and common way to express the concept of 'their'.

Comparison: Deles vs. Dos Quais

'Deles' is for simple possession. 'Dos quais' is a relative pronoun meaning 'of which/whom', used in more complex sentence structures.

Finally, it is important to distinguish deles from the object pronouns os and lhes. While deles indicates possession or follows the preposition de, os is used as a direct object ('I saw them' = 'Eu os vi') and lhes is used as an indirect object ('I gave them' = 'Eu lhes dei'). Beginners often confuse these because they all translate to 'them' in some English contexts. The key is to look for the preposition de. If the sentence structure implies 'of them', deles is your word.