“Mim” does nothing!

There is no doubt that the Portuguese language presents many challenges, both in writing and in speech. Sometimes the simplest of sentences can contain an error that people do not even realize they are making. One of the most common of these errors, however, makes the ears or eyes of those who value good Portuguese hurt: the famous “para mim fazer”.

Many people, I believe, may not even know where the error lies in this small expression of only three words. After all, all the terms exist in the dictionary, are spelled correctly, and there does not seem to be any word out of place, right? It is a phrase spoken all the time, by so many people! Well. However, just because something is used in everyday life does not mean it cannot be wrong. And it is wrong precisely because “mim” has no function in this sentence. The correct form is “para eu fazer”.

Then you may ask yourself: “So does ‘para mim’ not exist? Can I only use ‘para eu’?” Not quite. Both options exist in Portuguese, but the use of each one depends on the situation, and grammar can help us understand why.

The expression “para eu” is used when the personal subject pronoun “eu” functions as the subject of the clause. The expression “para mim”, on the other hand, is used when the oblique personal pronoun “mim” functions as an object, that is, as a complement to the clause.

It may seem a little complicated, with all these technical syntax terms. See how simple it is to understand when we look at practical examples:

1) Ele deixou as compras para eu guardar.

Here we have a sentence that can be divided into two clauses: “Ele deixou as compras” and “para eu guardar”. This “eu” in the second clause, therefore, is the subject, the one who performs the action of putting away. Who put away the groceries? Eu.

2) Ele trouxe as compras para mim.

In this second case, there is only one clause whose subject, “ele”, performs the action of bringing and two objects, “as compras” (direct object) and “mim” (indirect object, because of the verb’s government), completing the meaning of the verb trazer. What did he bring? As compras. For whom did he bring the groceries? Para mim.

And you can even reverse the order of the factors, according to your preference.

“Para mim, isso não serve mais.” / “Isso não serve mais para mim.”

In other words, “para eu” will be used whenever it is followed by a verb in the infinitive: para eu fazer, para eu comprar, para eu ler, para eu pegar, para eu usar, para eu comer, and so on. And “para mim” will always have the function of completing the meaning of the sentence.

That is also why, when someone makes this mistake, it is common to hear from a teacher at school or from someone who appreciates good Portuguese: “Mim não faz nada” [“Mim does nothing”]. Of course. It is “eu” who does things (or “ele”, “ela”, “nós”, “alguém”…).

Para mim, it is clear. And for you? ; )