obtêlas

Obtê-las is the infinitive form of the Portuguese verb obter with the direct object pronoun as attached: as, feminine plural of “them.” The construction means “to obtain them” and is used when the objects referred to are feminine and plural. The pronunciation and spelling include a hyphen, as in obtê-las, to indicate the pronoun attachment to the infinitive.

In usage, obtê-las occurs with an auxiliary or modal verb (for example, vou, quero, posso) or in simple infinitive clauses where the action is to obtain those items. The pronoun agrees with the noun it replaces in gender and number; for masculine plural objects the corresponding form would be obtê-los. The pronoun can appear directly after the finite verb in some syntactic patterns, but with a contracted infinitive it is standard to write obtê-las or obtê-los with the hyphen.

Examples include: Quero obtê-las antes do prazo. Vou obtê-las ainda hoje. Não posso obtê-las sem ajuda. These illustrate how the attached pronoun specifies which objects are being referred to and how the infinitive remains the syntactic vehicle for the action.

Etymology-wise, obter comes from Latin obtinēre or ob-tenēre, with the form obtê-las developing in Portuguese through regular clitic attachment to the infinitive. This pattern of attaching pronouns to infinitives is common in both Brazilian and European Portuguese, offering a concise way to express “to obtain them” without repeating the object noun.

See also: Portuguese pronouns, direct object clitics, infinitive constructions, obter.