substituílos

Substituílos is a term used in Portuguese that typically denotes substitutes or deputies in contexts where someone temporarily takes the place of another. In ordinary usage, the more common noun forms are substitutos or suplentes, but substituílos can appear as an alternative designation in formal or legal language, or in historical texts.

In standard grammar, substituílos most often appears as part of the clitic construction substituí-los, which means “to substitute them.” This form arises when the verb substitui r is used with a direct object pronoun attached to the infinitive, as in eu pretendo substituí-los or precisamos substituí-los. The accent on i reflects the phonological stress associated with the attached pronoun. In isolation, the word substituílos is not routinely listed as a standalone dictionary entry; its primary function is as a pronoun-verb combination rather than a plural noun.

Contextual usage examples include political or organizational settings where temporary replacements are appointed, such as a legislative body designating substituílos to vote on behalf of incumbents, or a company referring to substituílos who act in the duties of executives during absences. Because substituílos is less common than substitutos or suplentes, it is advisable to rely on the latter terms in contemporary writing, reserving substituílos for stylistic variety or historical/documentary contexts.

See also: substituto, suplente, suplência, substituição.