Headword
Language Portuguese · thirteenth language of borrow · no ordinary simple verb · the Borrower is the subject of pedir or of tomar · the Theme is the direct object · emprestado agrees with that Theme · the Source of pedir emprestado is a plus a noun, or a dative clitic, the same marker as the Recipient of emprestar · the Source of tomar emprestado is printed as de and as a · emprestar is lend, and a borrow reading of that verb with de is labeled on the pages that label it. The first language is borrow · leihen. The second is borrow · emprunter. The third is borrow · pedir prestado / tomar prestado. No English page. lend · emprestar. The lend frame is also recorded here.
Borrower, Theme, Source · one root for lend · a request complex and a take complex · Portuguese cloth · working claim, revisable
Voice[Borrower] + Themedirect object + emprestadoagrees with the Theme + Source
pedir emprestado · Source = a+NP / dative clitic · Infopédia alguma coisa a alguém · Michaelis a ninguém pediu emprestado · Ciberdúvidas pediu-lhe · the same a as the Recipient of emprestar
tomar emprestado · Source = de+NP, and also a+NP · Ciberdúvidas, citing Houaiss, Vive tomando dinheiro aos/ dos amigos · tomar emprestado a/de
Lend · emprestar · Lender subject · Theme direct object · Recipient a+NP or dative clitic · Infopédia a outrem · Priberam você me emprestou · Aulete emprestara-lhe · Aulete also prints para
A borrowing, on this reading, has a Borrower, a Theme, and a Source. Portuguese does not give that direction one ordinary simple verb. The ordinary expressions are a request or a take, plus the participle of the lend root. Voice adds the Borrower as the subject of pedir or of tomar. The root’s object is the Theme, a direct object. emprestado agrees with that Theme in gender and number. It is not the participle of the compound with ter. Infopédia’s compound of emprestar is tenho emprestado, and that form does not change with the Theme. The return wording in the lend definitions is the definitions’. It is not an aspect claim.
Where the frame sits against English borrow X from Y. English uses one simple verb, and the source is from, whether Y is a person or a place. Portuguese splits the direction onto the verb, not onto one preposition. Emprestar is the lend root. The subject hands the thing over, and the other person is a plus a noun, or a dative clitic: Infopédia’s a outrem, Priberam’s me in você me emprestou, Michaelis’s aos amigos and aos correntistas, Aulete’s emprestara-lhe and ao meu pai. That a is an indirect object. It is the Recipient. Borrow is built on the same root as a participle complex. Under pedir, the Source wears that same a. The lender is the person who is asked. Infopédia’s government of pedir is solicitar (alguma coisa a alguém). Michaelis prints a ninguém pediu emprestado. Ciberdúvidas prints Ele pediu-lhe o livro emprestado. English from is not this slot. The string pedir dinheiro emprestado a alguém is that government with the participle on a money Theme. A full clause of that shape, with names filled in, is constructed below. Under tomar, the Source is not reserved for a. Ciberdúvidas, citing the Dicionário Houaiss, prints Vive tomando dinheiro aos/ dos amigos, and says both a and de are correct for tomar in the sense of pedir emprestado: tomar emprestado a/de, and tomar de empréstimo a/de. de is the separative marker, closer to English from. a is also printed on the take complex, so the cut is not that tomar refuses a. The fine difference is which complex is which. The request complex marks the Source with the Recipient’s a. The take complex prints de and also prints a.
The same root, the other direction, and the labeled borrow reading of emprestar. Infopédia’s emprestar prints three lend senses and no borrow sense: confiar (uma coisa) a outrem, com a condição de ser restituída, ceder temporariamente, conceder. Priberam sense 1 is the same lend reading, Confiar temporariamente algo, sob condição de ser devolvido, with você me emprestou. Sense 3 is labeled [Brasil] and glossed Tomar por empréstimo, with emprestou da vizinha. The de there is the Source, and the subject is the one who takes. Aulete sense 4 prints Tomar por empréstimo with tdr. + de and Emprestou mil reais do amigo. The older paragraph on the same page prints (Bras.) (pop.) and com prep. de. Michaelis sense 3 glosses the verb as Receber ou tomar por empréstimo; pedir emprestado and prints Emprestava livros dos colegas. That article, as read, does not add a regional label to the sense. The labeled reading stays off the working formula. The working borrow expressions stay pedir emprestado and tomar emprestado. Which phrase is the structural object, when a clitic sits beside the Theme, is the note Causative templates and argument selection. This page does not edit that note.
No printed line in the entries opened stacks a named Borrower, a Theme, a Source, and a time expression in one clause of pedir emprestado. Ciberdúvidas prints the participle with the Theme and, in one line, with lhe. Michaelis prints a ninguém with no thing beside the participle. Houaiss, as Ciberdúvidas quotes it, prints aos and dos on tomar dinheiro, and the participle is not in that sentence. The lend lines print the Recipient and the Theme on emprestar. The return wording stays inside the definitions.
Printed request frame · the person is a or a dative clitic · the thing is the direct object · the participle agrees with the thing
✓ solicitar (alguma coisa a alguém) Infopédia · Porto Editora · pedir sense 1 · a alguém is the person · alguma coisa is the thing · no participle in this formula · infopedia.pt · pedir
✓ a ninguém pediu emprestado Michaelis · contrair · the participle has no thing beside it · a ninguém is the person · michaelis.uol.com.br · contrair
✓ Ele pediu emprestado o livro. Ele pediu o livro emprestado. Ele pediu-lhe o livro emprestado. Ele pediu os livros emprestados. Ele pediu a caneta emprestada. Ele pediu as canetas emprestadas. Ciberdúvidas · the participle agrees with the direct object · lhe is the person asked · ciberduvidas.iscte-iul.pt · pedir emprestado
English from is not this a · the lender is the addressee of the request
Printed take frame · de and a · the subject takes
✓ Vive tomando dinheiro aos/ dos amigos. tomar emprestado a/de · tomar de empréstimo a/de Ciberdúvidas, citing the Dicionário Houaiss · both prepositions · the money line has no participle · ciberduvidas.iscte-iul.pt · tomar de empréstimo
English from matches de · a on this verb is also printed · it is not only the Recipient’s marker
Printed lend frame · the same a is the Recipient · the subject hands the thing over
✓ confiar (uma coisa) a outrem, com a condição de ser restituída Infopédia · emprestar sense 1 · a outrem is the Recipient · the return wording is the definition’s · infopedia.pt · emprestar
✓ já li o livro que você me emprestou Priberam · emprestar sense 1 · me is the Recipient · dicionario.priberam.org/emprestar
✓ Não empresta um centavo aos amigos. O banco vai emprestar dinheiro aos correntistas com juros baixíssimos. Michaelis · emprestar senses 1 and 2 · aos is a plus the article · michaelis.uol.com.br · emprestar
✓ D. Úrsula emprestara-lhe um vestido de amazona. A financeira emprestou cinco mil reais ao meu pai. Aulete · tdi. + a, para · lhe and ao meu pai are Recipients · the Machado line is the dictionary’s citation · aulete.com.br/emprestar
English lend her the dress · lhe is the third-person dative · Priberam’s printed clitic on this sense is me
Borrow reading of emprestar · de · labeled where a source labels it · not the working frame
✓ devolveu a fantasia de bailarina que emprestou da vizinha Priberam · sense 3 · label [Brasil] · gloss Tomar por empréstimo · da vizinha is the Source
✓ Emprestou mil reais do amigo. Emprestou mil cruzeiros do amigo. Aulete · sense 4 tdr. + de · the older line is labeled (Bras.) (pop.) and com prep. de
✓ Emprestava livros dos colegas. Michaelis · sense 3 · gloss Receber ou tomar por empréstimo; pedir emprestado · dos colegas is the Source · no regional label in the article as read
this is the lend verb used for the other direction · the working expressions stay the participle complexes
| Role | Marking | Obligatoriness | What the sources print |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borrower | subject of pedir or of tomar | the complex has a subject · not the subject of the lend reading of emprestar | Ciberdúvidas Ele pediu · Houaiss, as quoted, Vive tomando · the subject of Priberam sense 1 is the lender |
| Theme | direct object · emprestado / emprestada / emprestados / emprestadas | when the thing is named, the participle agrees with it · a line with no thing prints emprestado | Ciberdúvidas: o livro, os livros emprestados, a caneta emprestada, as canetas emprestadas · Michaelis a ninguém pediu emprestado has no thing · Infopédia’s tenho emprestado does not agree · Priberam: participle regular |
| Source of pedir emprestado | a+NP, or a dative clitic (lhe, me, nos) | not in a line that names no person · when the person is named, this is the marking · not a second bare object | Infopédia a alguém · Michaelis a ninguém · Ciberdúvidas pediu-lhe, pediu-me, pediu-nos · the same marker as the Recipient of emprestar · a bare pedir emprestado Pat o livro is unprinted |
| Source of tomar emprestado | de+NP, and a+NP | not obligatory on a clause that does not name a source · both prepositions are printed | Houaiss, as Ciberdúvidas quotes it: aos/ dos amigos · Ciberdúvidas: tomar emprestado a/de · a filled tomar emprestado clause with the participle and a name is constructed |
| Recipient of emprestar | a+NP, or dative me / lhe · Aulete also para | the lend reading · the subject is the lender | Infopédia a outrem · Priberam me · Michaelis aos amigos, aos correntistas · Aulete lhe, ao meu pai, and the label a, para · para is unprinted in the Infopédia, Priberam, and Michaelis lines read |
| Borrow reading of emprestar | de+NP · the subject takes | not the working frame · printed, and labeled where the entry labels it | Priberam [Brasil] da vizinha · Aulete (Bras.) (pop.) do amigo · Michaelis dos colegas, no regional label in that article |
| Loan noun | pedir um empréstimo · contrair um empréstimo · the noun is the direct object | another frame · the institution’s preposition is not in the lines read | Michaelis contraíram empréstimos, no institution in the clause · Ciberdúvidas names a bank as who is asked, and prints no preposition on that bank · junto de and junto a are unprinted on these verbs · Infopédia junto a/de is ao lado de, perto de |
| Duration | inside the lend definitions · not a co-argument | not seated | Infopédia temporariamente · Priberam temporariamente · Michaelis por certo tempo · those phrases are the definitions’ · a por-phrase and an até-phrase are unprinted on the loan lines read |
Marking map. Read the verb first. On emprestar in the lend reading, the subject hands the thing over, and a or lhe is the Recipient. On pedir emprestado, the subject asks, and that same a or clitic is the person asked, who is the lender. The marker does not say which way the thing goes. The verb and the participle do. On tomar, the subject takes, and the other person is de or a. English from matches the de, not the a of pedir.
Each row lines up one English slot with a Portuguese slot. The alignment type says what happens to the slot: = (same object status), or shift (Portuguese a or a clitic where English has from, or a participle complex where English has one verb). Printed lines come first. Every other Portuguese sentence is constructed, modelled on a printed line. They show the working alignment, not frequency, and not a bilingual corpus.
| Slot | EN form | PT form | Align | EN example | PT example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borrower | SUBJ of borrow | subject of pedir or tomar | shift · no ordinary simple verb · the subject still asks or takes | to borrow something English gloss | Ele pediu emprestado o livro. Ciberdúvidas |
| Theme | OBJ | direct object · participle agrees | = for the object · agreement is extra | borrow a pen gloss | a caneta emprestada Ciberdúvidas |
| Source of pedir | from | a+NP or a dative clitic | shift · same marker as the Recipient of emprestar · the lender is the addressee of the request | borrow from her gloss | a alguém Infopédia · pedir · pediu-lhe Ciberdúvidas |
| Source of tomar | from | de+NP, and a+NP | = for de · shift for the printed a · both are in the Houaiss line | borrow money from friends gloss | tomando dinheiro aos/ dos amigos Houaiss, as Ciberdúvidas quotes it |
| Recipient of emprestar | to of lend · a different verb | the same a or dative clitic | shift of role on pedir · on the lend reading the role matches English lend | lend her a riding habit gloss of the Aulete line | emprestara-lhe um vestido Aulete |
| Loan noun | take out a loan · ask for a loan | contrair um empréstimo · pedir um empréstimo | the noun is the object · the institution’s preposition is unprinted | they took out loans gloss | contraíram empréstimos Michaelis |
| Spanish pedir prestado | one gloss · from | the same request complex · Source a / le | Spanish tomar is filed with de · Portuguese tomar also prints a | — | pedir prestado borrow · Spanish |
EN · PT · pedir · a
borrow the book from her
pede-lhe o livro emprestado
PT · Ciberdúvidas Ele pediu-lhe o livro emprestado · EN gloss uses from
Move English from · Portuguese a or lhe · the same marker is a Recipient on emprestar
EN · PT · tomar · de and a
borrow money from friends
tomando dinheiro aos/ dos amigos
PT · Houaiss, as Ciberdúvidas quotes it · both prepositions · the participle is not in this line
Move de matches English from · the same line also prints a
PT · same a, other direction
lend her a riding habit
emprestara-lhe um vestido de amazona
PT · Aulete · lhe is the Recipient · the subject hands the dress over · lend · emprestar
Move the marker does not flip · the lemma does · pedir keeps a / lhe and changes the verb
ES · FR · the nearest splits
borrow something from someone
pedir prestado · emprunter qqch à qqn
ES · pedir prestado · FR · emprunter · Spanish is the periphrasis · French is one simple verb, and à is the Source
Move Portuguese pedir matches the Spanish dative · Portuguese tomar also prints a, which the Spanish tomar page does not file
Argument difference against English from, against the lend reading, and against Spanish and French. English Chris borrowed the book from Pat uses one verb and from. Portuguese pedir emprestado uses a or a dative clitic for that person. The same marker, on emprestar, is the Recipient, and the subject is the lender. Tomar can use de, and the Houaiss line also uses a. Spanish pedir prestado shares the dative with prestar. French emprunter is one simple verb, and its Source is à. Dropping nothing inside emprestar does not turn the ordinary lend line into the working borrow expression. The ordinary borrow expression is already pedir or tomar plus emprestado.
Dictionary frames and lines · checked · quoted as printed
solicitar (alguma coisa a alguém). Infopédia · Porto Editora · pedir · infopedia.pt/dicionarios/lingua-portuguesa/pedir
confiar (uma coisa) a outrem, com a condição de ser restituída. ceder temporariamente. conceder. Infopédia · emprestar · no borrow sense in the article · infopedia.pt · emprestar
Confiar temporariamente algo, sob condição de ser devolvido (ex.: já li o livro que você me emprestou). [Brasil] Tomar por empréstimo (ex.: devolveu a fantasia de bailarina que emprestou da vizinha). Participle regular. Priberam · emprestar · dicionario.priberam.org/emprestar
Não empresta um centavo aos amigos. O banco vai emprestar dinheiro aos correntistas. Emprestava livros dos colegas. Michaelis · emprestar · senses 1, 2, and 3 · michaelis.uol.com.br · emprestar
a ninguém pediu emprestado, ou contraiu dívidas. contraíram empréstimos. Michaelis · contrair · michaelis.uol.com.br · contrair
D. Úrsula emprestara-lhe um vestido de amazona. A financeira emprestou cinco mil reais ao meu pai. Emprestou mil reais do amigo. Aulete · a, para on the lend senses · de on the borrow sense · aulete.com.br/emprestar
Ele pediu-lhe o livro emprestado. Ele pediu a caneta emprestada. Ele pediu as canetas emprestadas. Ciberdúvidas · agreement · ciberduvidas · pedir emprestado
Vive tomando dinheiro aos/ dos amigos. Ciberdúvidas, citing Houaiss · ciberduvidas · tomar
Strings below are constructed, modelled on the printed lines. They are not spontaneous-speech citations and not dictionary lines. Chris and Pat continue the named-participant series. A name does not spell a preposition. a Pat follows Infopédia’s a alguém. lhe follows Ciberdúvidas and Aulete. de Pat follows the de of the Houaiss slash and of the labeled emprestar lines. The money string follows Infopédia’s alguma coisa a alguém with dinheiro as the thing.
✓ Chris pede dinheiro emprestado a Pat.
constructed · a alguém is Infopédia pedir · dinheiro is masculine, so the participle is emprestado · the printed loan lines do not fill this money string
✓ Chris pede-lhe a caneta emprestada.
constructed on Ciberdúvidas Ele pediu a caneta emprestada and pediu-lhe · the two are not that one printed clause · feminine agreement is printed · the name is not
✓ Chris toma o livro emprestado de Pat.
constructed · one of the two Houaiss options, de · Ciberdúvidas also prints a · not a ban on aos amigos
✓ Pat empresta-lhe o livro.
constructed · the lend frame · modelled on Aulete emprestara-lhe · not a borrow line · lend · emprestar
✓ Chris pede um empréstimo a um banco.
constructed · the collocation pedir um empréstimo is Ciberdúvidas · a is Infopédia’s government of pedir · Ciberdúvidas names a bank and prints no preposition on it · junto de is not this string
* Chris pede emprestado Pat o livro.
constructed · not a dictionary line · the printed person of pedir is a or a dative clitic · a bare second object is unprinted · the star is not a dictionary star
Each sketch is a working drawing, not a locked analysis. The drawing gives the Borrower to Voice and the Theme to the root. On pedir the Source stays in a, the person asked. On tomar the Source is a prepositional phrase, de or a. The lend drawing gives that same a to the Recipient and names the subject the Lender, on emprestar. Open one sketch at a time.
One external argument · the other person is not co-indexed with it
[VoiceP Chris Voice ← Borrower = Spec,Voice
[VP lhe ← dative · the person asked
[√pedir-
[Theme o livro emprestado ]
[PP a Pat ]]]] ← same person · not a Recipient of the book
✓ Ele pediu-lhe o livro emprestado. Ciberdúvidas
The subject asks once. The dative is who is asked. English borrow puts that person in from. On this complex the person stays in the a that emprestar uses for a Recipient. emprestado is in the Theme, and it agrees with o livro. The clitic and the a-phrase in one clause are drawn together here. Ciberdúvidas prints lhe without a full a-phrase in that line.
Two printed prepositions · working, revisable · the drawing shows de
[VoiceP Chris Voice ← Borrower
[VP
[√tomar-
[Theme o livro emprestado ]
[PP de Pat ]]]] ← Source · de · a is also printed
✓ Vive tomando dinheiro aos/ dos amigos. Houaiss, as Ciberdúvidas quotes it
The subject takes. de names where the thing is taken from, and that is the option drawn. The same cited line prints a. The drawing does not treat a on tomar as ungrammatical. It records that the request complex is the one whose dictionary government is only a.
Same root · the a-phrase is the Recipient · working, revisable
[VoiceP Pat Voice ← Lender · not the Borrower
[VP lhe
[√emprestar-
[Theme o livro ]
[PP a Chris ]]]] ← Recipient · the same a
✓ emprestara-lhe um vestido de amazona. Aulete
The direct object can be the same book. The dative cannot be read off the clitic as a source, because the lend reading of emprestar fixes it as the Recipient and pedir emprestado fixes it as the person asked. French à is the same kind of shared marker, on two simple verbs. Portuguese shares the marker and does not use a simple borrow verb as the ordinary expression.
Working paper · October 2026 · Portuguese micro-entry · Beyond Index 2
Borrowing in Portuguese is not one ordinary simple verb. The root emprestar is lend: the Recipient is a or a dative clitic. Borrow is pedir or tomar plus emprestado, and the participle agrees with the Theme. On pedir emprestado the Source is that same a, so the lender is the person asked. On tomar emprestado the Source is printed as de and as a. A borrow reading of emprestar with de is labeled [Brasil] in Priberam and (Bras.) (pop.) in Aulete. The loan noun is pedir um empréstimo or contrair um empréstimo. A time phrase is not a co-argument.
Not a flat grid of four sisters. Voice adds the Borrower. The root takes the Theme, and emprestado agrees with it. a or the dative clitic adds the Source of pedir. de or a adds the Source of tomar. A time expression stays unranked.
What Portuguese changes, against English borrow X from Y, is the verb and, on pedir, the preposition. English has one simple verb and from. Portuguese has one root, emprestar, for lend, and builds borrow as a request or a take plus the participle. Pedir puts the lender in the a that also marks the Recipient. Tomar puts the source in de, and the cited line also puts it in a. What Portuguese changes, against French emprunter, is the absence of one ordinary simple verb for the borrow direction.
Dictionary frames: Priberam emprestar, emprestado, empréstimo, pedir, and contrair. Infopédia / Porto Editora emprestar, pedir, empréstimo, contrair, and junto. Michaelis emprestar, empréstimo, contrair, and pedir. Aulete emprestar. Ciberdúvidas on pedir emprestado, on tomar emprestado with the Houaiss citation, and on pedir um empréstimo / contrair um empréstimo. Constructed clauses put Infopédia’s a alguém, or Ciberdúvidas’s lhe, on Chris and Pat. The de string is one printed option of tomar. Index 2 does not list the complexes.
Records the subject Borrower, the direct-object Theme, and the agreeing participle of pedir emprestado and tomar emprestado. Records the Source of pedir in a or in a dative clitic, the same marker as the Recipient of emprestar. Records the Source of tomar in de and in a. Records emprestar as lend, and records the labeled borrow reading of that verb with de without making it the working frame. Records pedir um empréstimo and contrair um empréstimo as the loan-noun frame, and records junto de as unprinted. Records the split against English borrow X from Y.