How to Use "DELE" and "DELA"

Think of "dele" and "dela" as ways to say “his” or “her” in Portuguese. However, there’s an important difference:

In Portuguese, "dele" and "dela" are used after the noun to show possession.
- Example: O carro dele. (The car of him. = His car)
- Example: A casa dela. (The house of her. = Her house)

Unlike English, the possessive pronouns don’t change based on the object being possessed. They only reflect the gender of the owner.

Portuguese	Translation	Owner’s Gender	Example
dele	his	Male	O carro dele. (His car.)
dela	her	Female	A casa dela. (Her house.)
deles	their (masculine/mixed)	Male/Mixed Group	Os amigos deles. (Their friends.)
delas	their (feminine)	Female Group	As ideias delas. (Their ideas.)

Este é o caderno ___ (dele/dela). (This is her notebook.)
A mochila ___ (dele/dela) está no chão. (His backpack is on the floor.)
Estes livros são ___ (deles/delas). (The books belong to the boys.)
As ideias ___ (dele/delas) são geniais. (Their ideas are brilliant.)
O celular ___ (dele/dela) está em cima da mesa. (His phone is on the table.)
A casa ___ (dele/deles) tem um jardim bonito. (Their house has a beautiful garden.)

A mala ___ é grande. (Her suitcase is big.)
- a) dele
- b) dela
- c) deles
O irmão ___ é alto. (Their brother is tall.)
- a) dele
- b) dela
- c) deles
O computador ___ está quebrado. (His computer is broken.)
- a) dele
- b) dela
- c) delas
Os amigos ___ são divertidos. (Their friends are fun.)
- a) dela
- b) deles
- c) delas

a) This is John's book. → Este é o livro ___ (John).

b) That is Sarah's house. → Aquela é a casa ___ (Sarah).

c) These are Peter's shoes. → Esses são os sapatos ___ (Peter).

d) The idea is Anna's. → A ideia é ___ (Anna).

e) The keys are Michael's. → As chaves são ___ (Michael).

f) The decision is Laura's. → A decisão é ___ (Laura).

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