descrevêlo

Descrevê-lo is a pronominal form in Portuguese formed by the verb descrever plus the attached masculine direct object pronoun lo, meaning “to describe it/him.” The construction is used when the object is masculine singular and the speaker wishes to attach the pronoun directly to the non-finite verb form.

In usage, descrevê-lo typically appears with infinitives or auxiliary constructions and follows standard enclisis rules for pronouns in Portuguese. The hyphen between the verb and the pronoun helps indicate the clitic attachment, and the accent on ê (descrevê-lo) is used to preserve the original stress pattern of the verb after the pronoun is added. When the object is feminine, the corresponding form would be descrevê-la, following the same clitic-attached pattern.

The form is particularly common in Brazilian Portuguese and in formal or literary writing, where enclitic pronouns attached to infinitives or gerunds are often kept. In many varieties of European Portuguese and in more standard contemporary writing, speakers may prefer the non-clitic construction descrever o (describe it) in full form, depending on regional style and formality.

Examples include: Vou descrevê-lo amanhã. Ela pediu para descrevê-lo com mais detalhes. Descrevê-lo em contexto passado seria descrito como “descrevi-lo” com a forma verbal correspondente. Descrevê-lo, portanto, ilustra a interação entre o verbo descrever e o pronome enclítico masculino em frases não finitas.