Headword
Language Portuguese · three-place sending · mandar on this page, and remeter and despachar where a dictionary prints the send sense
Sender, Theme, Recipient or Goal · Portuguese cloth · working claim, revisable
Voice[Sender] + low Appl(Recipient) or a PP Goal inside the verb’s domain + complement of the root (Theme)
enviar / mandar · Theme direct object · European Portuguese Recipient a+NP, or dative lhe/lhes · Brazilian Portuguese commonly para+NP, and the strong pronoun para ele / a ele · me/te stay · a full Recipient noun is not doubled · a place Goal is a or para · that place is not lhe
mandar + bare infinitive · mandar que + subjunctive · the order · the person of Mandei-o trazer is the direct object · mandar embora is printed as dismiss · até is a destination preposition on ir, unprinted on these verbs
A sending, on this reading, has a Sender, a Theme, and a third participant that is not one marking. Voice adds the Sender. The root’s complement is the Theme, the direct object: the thing that is sent, or the person who is sent. The third slot splits. a plus a person, and the dative clitic lhe or lhes, are drawn as a Recipient, a low Appl inside the verb’s domain. para plus a noun phrase is drawn as a Goal PP inside the verb’s domain, and in Brazilian Portuguese that PP is the common spelling of the person as well. That split is a working drawing. It is not a settled analysis. The clitic is what separates a person from a place. lhe is the person of the a-phrase. A place is para, or a when the line prints a place, and the place adverb the dictionary prints is lá. The person who is sent is a bare direct object. Portuguese does not print a preposition on that person.
What is different from the English gloss. Cambridge prints the person of send as a double object, labeled [+ two objects], in I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week, and again in Could you send them a reply as quickly as possible? A place in to is the business line send them to the phone recycling company. A place as the first object, send Paris a letter, is unprinted. send Mary the package is that double object with a name in the first slot. It is unprinted. Portuguese prints the person as a or para plus a noun phrase, or as lhe. It does not print a bare first object. Brito stars a bare noun in that slot on another verb: *A rapariga pediu o tio um disco.
What is different from Spanish enviar. On enviar the Recipient is a plus a noun phrase doubled by le, and the DPD prints both in one clause. Portuguese does not print that doubling of a full noun. Brito stars it on dar: *A Maria deu-lhe um livro ao João. A strong pronoun beside the clitic is a different line, and she prints it: enviou-lhe uma carta a ela. The same Spanish a is also personal a of an animate direct object. The Portuguese person who is sent is bare: Mandou o garoto à padaria, Mandei-o trazer. Spanish mandar plus an infinitive is the order, and mandar a alguien a plus an infinitive sends someone to do something. Portuguese mandar prints a bare infinitive, mandaram evacuar o edifício, and mandar que plus the subjunctive, mandou que se calassem. An a before that infinitive is unprinted.
What is different from Italian mandare. On mandare the Recipient is a plus a noun phrase or gli/le, printed apart, and someone sent to do something takes a before the infinitive: mandare qcn. a fare la spesa. Portuguese matches the missing full-noun doubling. It does not match the a on the infinitive. The Portuguese infinitive of the order is bare, and the person, when the line fills one, is the direct object o. Italian glielo is the dative plus the Theme clitic. A combined lho is unprinted on enviar and on mandar. Italian mandare via is send away. Portuguese prints mandar embora as the gloss of dismiss, with no filled clause on the mandar entry.
What is different from French envoyer and from German schicken. On envoyer the Recipient is à or lui, printed apart, and a place takes y. Portuguese lhe is that dative, and a place is not given lhe. A French infinitive is bare, which the Portuguese order matches. On schicken the Recipient is a bare dative. A full Portuguese noun has no case ending. The Recipient is a, para, or a clitic.
The four verbs are not four frames. enviar is the general verb of making something or someone go. Priberam glosses it Remeter, mandar and Expedir, with no filled clause. Infopédia sense 1 is fazer seguir para determinado destino ou destinatário. Michaelis labels it vtd and vtdi and glosses the first block Fazer remessa de algo para certo endereço. mandar has the send sense beside the order. Priberam sense 6 is Enviar (ex.: já mandámos a encomenda). Sense 2 is the order: mandaram evacuar o edifício; mandou que se calassem. Infopédia sense 3 is enviar; remeter; expedir. remeter and despachar stay on this page only where an entry prints the send sense. Priberam remeter sense 1 is Mandar, enviar, with no filled clause. Infopédia prints Remeteu a encomenda por correio aéreo. Michaelis prints Remeteu o processo para Brasília. Priberam despachar sense 4 is Enviar, expedir, with no filled clause. Infopédia prints Despachou a encomenda para Braga. Michaelis prints Despachou o comunicado a todos os associados.
Printed enviar · direct Theme · a + people · no clitic in the clause
✓ O diretor enviou um e-mail a todos os gerentes Michaelis · enviar · Fazer remessa de algo para certo endereço
the director sent an e-mail to all the managers
Printed European a + person, and the dative lhe, as two spellings of one slot
✓ A Maria enviou uma carta ao João. A Maria enviou-lhe uma carta. Calindro 2015 · examples (3a) and (3b) · European Portuguese · the clitic replaces the a-phrase
Maria sent João a letter. Maria sent him a letter.
Printed Brazilian para, preferred, beside a · strong pronoun · no lhe in the pair
✓ Maria enviou a carta para/ao João. Maria enviou a carta para/a ele. Calindro 2015 · (1a) (1b) · high preference for para over a · the third-person clitic is not the form in these lines
Maria sent the letter to João. Maria sent the letter to him.
Printed person who is sent · bare direct object · a + place
✓ Mandou o garoto à padaria. Michaelis · mandar · Ordenar que alguém vá a algum lugar · o garoto is the direct object · à padaria is the place
He sent the boy to the bakery.
| Place | Introduced by (working) | Portuguese marking | Case status | English marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sender | Spec,Voice | subject of enviar, mandar, remeter, and despachar | structural subject · a passive of the thing is printed (O presente foi enviado de Paris · O pacote foi despachado por via aérea) | subject of send |
| Recipient · a+NP · European Portuguese | low Appl · revisable · the spelling lhe replaces | a + noun phrase (ao João · à Maria · a todos os gerentes · ao sobrinho · a todos os associados) | Calindro: in European Portuguese the indirect argument is preferentially a, and lhe/lhes replace it · a full noun has no case ending · Brito: a bare noun in this slot is ungrammatical (*pediu o tio um disco) | to + person · or the first object of [+ two objects] (her, them) |
| Recipient · para+NP · Brazilian Portuguese | PP inside the verb’s domain · revisable · the common cloth · a is also printed | para + noun phrase (para/ao João · para sua namorada · para o João) | Calindro: speakers use a and para, with a high preference for para · Michaelis, a Brazilian dictionary, prints both a todos os gerentes and para sua namorada · the strong pronoun is para/a ele | to + person · not a bare first object |
| Recipient · lhe / lhes · me / te | low Appl · clitic · revisable · not a doubling of a full noun | dative lhe/lhes (enviou-lhe uma carta · Brito’s series me, te, lhe, nos, vos, lhes) · Brazilian Portuguese keeps me/te (Maria me/te deu o livro, on dar) and prefers the strong form for the third person | Calindro’s footnote: lhe/lhes remain in formal and literary writing, and drop out of colloquial Brazilian Portuguese · a full noun beside lhe is the starred *deu-lhe um livro ao João · enviou-lhe uma carta a ela is the strong pronoun, and Brito prints it | first object of [+ two objects] · English does not replace that object with a clitic |
| Theme | complement of the root | direct object (um e-mail, uma carta, a carta, a encomenda, o pacote, o processo) | structural direct object · a line can lack a and para (já mandámos a encomenda · Já remetemos as encomendas · Enviou o presente assim que recebeu o convite de casamento) · the passive of the thing is printed | object of send (a letter, a reply) |
| Person sent · no preposition on that person | complement of the root · the person who goes · not the Recipient | bare direct object (o garoto, o filho, a empregada, o in Mandei-o trazer and despachou-o) | Spanish personal a is unprinted on these lines · a before a person, on a thing that is sent, is the Recipient · the clitic of the person who goes is o, not lhe · a empregada in Brito’s line is the article, and a Lisboa is the place | object of send when the one who goes is the object |
| Place Goal · a / para · not lhe | PP inside the verb’s domain · revisable · not a fourth argument | para Roma · para Lisboa · para o exterior · para Brasília · para Braga · à padaria · a Lisboa / ao mercado of the person who is sent · Brito stars *enviou uma carta a Lisboa as a pure place | the place is not lhe · Torres Morais and Lima-Salles, as Brito quotes them: directional locatives are never realized as clitics · Calindro stars *enviou-lhe beside para o João in the prepositional structure · the place adverb is lá · para lá on these verbs is unprinted · até is printed on ir (ir até Praga), not on enviar | to + place · send Paris a letter is unprinted |
| mandar + infinitive · mandar que | the order · the infinitive is bare · the finite clause is subjunctive · revisable · not a fourth argument | mandaram evacuar o edifício · mandou que se calassem · Ele mandou que o menino se calasse · Mandei-o trazer o livro | no a before the infinitive on these lines · the person, when filled, is o · Italian prints a before the infinitive · Spanish a is the send-someone-to-do sense, and the order on the Spanish page has no a | send somebody to do something · Cambridge [+ to infinitive] · not the double object |
| mandar embora | the person is the one dismissed · embora is inside the verb’s domain · revisable · not the Recipient | Michaelis: Mandar embora · demitir alguém de um emprego · Infopédia despachar sense 7, popular, glosses mandar embora and prints despachou-o de casa | no filled mandar embora clause on the mandar entries · Priberam’s Ir-se embora is the pronominal mandou-se, not this frame · the clitic of despachou-o is the direct object | sent him away · Cambridge · German wegschicken is the particle sibling |
Marking map. One letter can belong to several heads. Read the lemma, then the marker.
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 (a bare English object ↔ Portuguese a, para, or lhe, or to ↔ a / para). Printed dictionary and grammar lines come first. Every other sentence is constructed, modelled on a printed line. They show the working alignment. Spanish enviar, Italian mandare, French envoyer, and German schicken are the live siblings, not extra columns.
| Slot | EN form | PT form | Align | EN example | PT example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sender | SUBJ of send | subject | = | I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week Cambridge · [+ two objects] | O diretor enviou Michaelis · the subject is the Sender |
| Recipient · person · European a / lhe | first object of [+ two objects] | a+NP or lhe/lhes · the two spellings are the pair Calindro prints | shift · no doubling of a full noun · the English gloss is a bare object | I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week Cambridge · [+ two objects] | enviou uma carta ao João · enviou-lhe uma carta Calindro · (3) · Spanish le is doubled in the printed line |
| Recipient · person · Brazilian para | first object, or to | para+NP · also a · strong para/a ele | shift · para is the common cloth · lhe is not the colloquial third person | Could you send them a reply as quickly as possible? Cambridge Business · double object | para/ao João · para/a ele Calindro · (1) · para sua namorada Michaelis · mandar |
| Theme | object of send | direct object | = | I'll send her a letter Cambridge | um e-mail Michaelis · enviar a encomenda por avião Infopédia · a encomenda Priberam · mandar |
| me / te | the first object stays me | me / te · proclitic in the Brazilian line | shift · the printed te line is dar, not enviar | She sends me a letter constructed · not the Cambridge line opened here · modelled on I'll send her a letter | Maria me/te deu o livro Salles and Torres Morais 2020 · (20a) · the verb is dar |
| Place Goal | to + place | para · a of a place the line accepts · not lhe | shift · até is unprinted on these verbs | send them to the phone recycling company Cambridge Business · send sth to sth | para Roma Infopédia · para Lisboa Brito · à padaria Michaelis |
| Person sent | object of send + to + place | bare direct object · clitic o · place a/para | shift · no personal a · Spanish prints one | We're sending the kids to stay with my parents Cambridge · [+ to infinitive] | Mandou o garoto à padaria Michaelis · enviou o filho para o exterior Michaelis |
| Order | send + person + to-infinitive | bare infinitive, or que + subjunctive | shift · no a on the infinitive · Italian prints a · Spanish a is the other sense | We're sending the kids to stay with my parents Cambridge | Mandei-o trazer o livro Michaelis · mandou que se calassem Priberam |
| Send away | sent him away | mandar embora · the gloss, with no clause · despachou-o de casa | shift · embora is not the Recipient | sent him away Cambridge · told him to leave | Mandar embora: demitir alguém de um emprego Michaelis · expression · no clause |
| Place as the dative | send Paris a letter | lhe of a place | unprinted on both sides | * send Paris a letter constructed · not a dictionary line | * lhe = Roma constructed · lhe is the Recipient · the place is para |
The strip below is a set of small multiples. Each card holds one frame, with English on top and Portuguese under it. The subject chip is the Sender.
EN · PT · lhe
I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week
A Maria enviou-lhe uma carta.
EN · Cambridge · [+ two objects] · PT · Calindro (3b) · dative clitic · direct Theme · no full a-phrase
Move lhe is the Recipient · English spells a bare object · Spanish spells le and doubles it
EN · PT · no doubling
I'll send her a letter
O diretor enviou um e-mail a todos os gerentes.
PT · Michaelis · full a-phrase · no clitic in the clause · Spanish prints both
Move Portuguese prints the phrase without the clitic · a full noun beside lhe is the starred dar line
EN · PT · para
Could you send them a reply as quickly as possible?
Maria enviou a carta para/a ele.
PT · Calindro (1b) · Brazilian strong pronoun · para preferred · lhe is not in the line
Move colloquial Brazilian Portuguese spells the third person as para ele · te is the second person, printed on dar
EN · PT · place
send them to the phone recycling company
Quero enviar para Roma todos os documentos.
PT · Infopédia · para + place · EN to + place
Move a place is a PP · lhe does not resume it · lá is the adverb
EN · PT · bare person
We're sending the kids to stay with my parents
Mandou o garoto à padaria.
PT · Michaelis · bare direct object · place a · Spanish puts a on the person as well
Move one a, on the place · the person has the article only
EN · PT · lhe ≠ place
* send Paris a letter
* Pat enviou-lhe o pacote. lhe = Roma
constructed · lhe resumed as Rome · the printed place is para Roma · lhe as a person is Calindro’s (3b)
Move lhe as a person is Calindro’s (3b) · a place takes para
EN · PT · infinitive · que · away
sent him away
Mandei-o trazer o livro. Mandou que se calassem.
PT · Michaelis · Priberam · the infinitive has no a · embora is the gloss, not a clause on mandar
Move Italian prints a before the infinitive · Spanish le + bare infinitive is the order
Argument difference. English send her a letter and send them a reply put the person in a bare object. English send them to the phone recycling company puts the third slot in to. Portuguese enviar puts the Theme in the direct object. European Portuguese puts the person in a or in lhe. Brazilian Portuguese commonly puts the person in para, and the third person in para ele or a ele, and keeps me and te. A full Recipient noun is not doubled by lhe. A place is para or a, and not lhe. The person who is sent has no preposition. mandar plus a bare infinitive, and mandar que plus the subjunctive, are the order. Spanish enviar doubles the Recipient and uses personal a. Italian mandare prints a before the infinitive. French envoyer puts a place in y. German schicken puts the person in a bare dative. The dative clitic is inside the verb’s domain on the working drawing. The PP is the Goal, also inside that domain. The drawing does not decide that enviou-lhe uma carta a ela is a second Recipient.
Senses kept off this frame. The blow mandou-lhe um pontapé, the throw enviava a Amâncio caretas, the attack enviou-se contra o inimigo, Priberam’s government of employees, and the pronominal mandou-se are not a letter. remeter of trusting a business to a son-in-law, of postponing, and of referring, and despachar of deciding a petition, stay off the parcel where the entry separates them. The send sense of those two verbs stays on this page.
Dictionary frames and lines · quoted as printed
Remeter, mandar · Expedir Priberam · enviar · transitive · no filled clause
Vou enviar este processo a tribunal · O presente foi enviado de Paris · As máquinas enviaram-se em contentores · Quero enviar para Roma todos os documentos · É melhor enviar a encomenda por avião Infopédia · enviar · synonyms expedir, remeter, despachar
Enviou o presente assim que recebeu o convite de casamento · O diretor enviou um e-mail a todos os gerentes · Enviou o artigo para o jornal semanal · O país enviou uma equipe para negociar o acordo comercial · A família enviou o filho para o exterior Michaelis · enviar · vtd and vtdi
já mandámos a encomenda · mandaram evacuar o edifício · mandou que se calassem Priberam · mandar · sense 6 the send · sense 2 the order
Mandou pelo correio todos os documentos · Mandaram este livro de Londres Infopédia · mandar · sense 3 enviar; remeter; expedir
O rapaz mandou um lindo buquê de rosas para sua namorada · Mandou o garoto à padaria · mandaria ao sobrinho uma bicicleta · Mandei-o trazer o livro · Ele mandou que o menino se calasse · Mandar embora: demitir alguém de um emprego Michaelis · mandar · the expression has no clause
Remeteu a encomenda por correio aéreo Infopédia · remeter · sense 1 send
Já remetemos as encomendas · Remeteu o processo para Brasília Michaelis · remeter · send by post
Despachou a encomenda para Braga · O pacote foi despachado por via aérea · despachou-o de casa Infopédia · despachar · sense 4 send · sense 7 popular mandar embora
Despachou o pacote ontem mesmo · Despachou o comunicado a todos os associados Michaelis · despachar · enviar, expedir
O João enviou uma carta à Maria · O João enviou-lhe uma carta · *O José enviou uma carta a Lisboa · O José enviou uma carta para Lisboa · O José mandou a empregada a Lisboa / ao mercado · O José enviou-lhe uma carta a ela · *A Maria deu-lhe um livro ao João Brito 2014 · the star on a Lisboa is a pure place · the star on ao João is dar · the pronoun a ela is printed on enviar
Maria enviou a carta para/ao João · Maria enviou a carta para/a ele · A Maria enviou uma carta ao João · A Maria enviou-lhe uma carta · Maria enviou uma carta para o João / *enviou-lhe uma carta Calindro 2015 · (1) Brazilian · (3) European · the star in (6) is lhe for the para phrase
Maria deu um livro a/para ele · Maria me/te deu o livro · *Dei-lhe um livro a ele/para ele Salles and Torres Morais 2020 · (17) (20a) (23b) · the verb is dar · me and te are the clitics Brazilian Portuguese keeps
planeamos ir até Praga · lá Priberam · até sense 3, destination, the verb is ir · lá is the place adverb · neither line is enviar
I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week. · Could you send them a reply as quickly as possible? · send them to the phone recycling company. · sent him away. Cambridge · send · [+ two objects] is the entry’s label on the first · the to line and send them a reply are the business entry
Strings below are constructed, modelled on the printed lines. They are not dictionary lines. Pat continues the named-participant series. A name does not spell function. lhe spells the dative. o pacote follows Michaelis’s o pacote and Infopédia’s a encomenda. à Maria follows Brito’s à Maria. para a Maria follows Calindro’s para/ao João and Michaelis’s para sua namorada. para Roma is Infopédia’s city. para lá puts Priberam’s lá in that para. João follows the bare person of o garoto and of o filho.
✓ Pat enviou-lhe o pacote.
constructed · dative lhe modelled on Calindro’s enviou-lhe uma carta · European enclisis
✓ Pat enviou o pacote à Maria.
constructed · a+NP modelled on à Maria and on a todos os gerentes · no clitic · not the Spanish doubling
✓ Pat enviou o pacote para a Maria. Pat enviou o pacote para ele.
constructed · para modelled on para/ao João and on para sua namorada · para ele is Calindro’s (1b)
✓ Pat enviou o pacote para Roma. Pat enviou o pacote para lá.
constructed · para Roma is Infopédia’s city, with o pacote in the Theme slot · para lá puts Priberam’s adverb lá in that para · para lá is unprinted on the verb
✓ Pat mandou o João comprar o pão.
constructed · bare infinitive modelled on Mandei-o trazer and on mandaram evacuar · the person is the direct object · Italian prints a before the infinitive
* Pat enviou-lhe o pacote. lhe = Roma
constructed · lhe resumed as a place · the same string with lhe as a person is the dative cloth · a place takes para or a, and the adverb is lá
* Pat enviou Maria o pacote.
constructed · bare Recipient, no preposition · modelled on Brito’s *pediu o tio um disco · Maria has no a and no à · the printed person beside this Theme is a, para, or lhe · Brito’s enviou à Maria uma carta is the preposition, and it is printed · English send Mary the package is the bare first object
* Pat enviou-lhe o pacote à Maria.
constructed · lhe doubled by a full noun · modelled on Brito’s *deu-lhe um livro ao João · the verb of that star is dar · enviou-lhe uma carta a ela is the pronoun, and it is printed · Spanish a sus amigas is the full noun
* Pat mandou o João a comprar o pão.
constructed · a before the infinitive · Italian a fare la spesa is that a · the Portuguese lines print a bare infinitive
The clitic is an operation on the same places. It does not add a participant. A passive of the thing is printed: Infopédia O presente foi enviado de Paris and O pacote foi despachado por via aérea, and the reflexive As máquinas enviaram-se em contentores. The thing is the subject, or the se of that passive. A passive of the person who is sent is unprinted. Nothing is constructed for it.
lhe is the Recipient. o is the person who is sent. enviou-lhe uma carta puts the Recipient in lhe and leaves the Theme as the direct object. Mandei-o trazer o livro and despachou-o de casa put the other person in o. mandou-lhe um pontapé is lhe on the blow, not on the letter. Salles and Torres Morais print the paradigm lhe + o = lho. No enviar or mandar line opened here uses lho. Nothing is constructed for it.
me and te stay. Third-person lhe is the cell Brazilian Portuguese replaces. Brito’s European series is me, te, lhe, nos, vos, lhes, and the enviar clitic she prints is lhe, in enclisis, enviou-lhe. Salles and Torres Morais say the third-person clitics, accusative o/a and dative lhe/lhes, are absent in Brazilian Portuguese, and that me and te are found. Their clause is Maria me/te deu o livro, proclisis, on dar. The same paper prints para ele for the third person. Calindro’s footnote keeps colloquial lhe out and formal lhe in. A te on enviar is unprinted. The constructed pages do not add one.
Doubling. enviou-lhe uma carta a ela is Brito’s strong pronoun beside the clitic, on enviar. *deu-lhe um livro ao João is the full noun, on dar, and the star is hers. Salles and Torres Morais star *Dei-lhe um livro a ele/para ele for Brazilian Portuguese. Spanish a sus amigas beside se lo is the full noun the Portuguese lines do not print. The constructed *enviou-lhe o pacote à Maria is that star on enviar. It is not a second analysis of Brito’s a ela.
A place is not lhe. para Roma and para Lisboa are the place. Brito’s *a Lisboa, as a pure place of a letter, is the a that does not replace para. Calindro’s *enviou-lhe beside para o João is the star on lhe as the substitute of that para. The constructed lhe = Roma is the same refusal on a city. para lá is the adverb in the place PP. It is constructed.
Each sketch is a working drawing, not a locked analysis. The drawing gives the Sender to Voice, the European a/lhe Recipient to low Appl, the para Goal to a phrase inside the verb’s domain, and the Theme to the root. Calindro’s Brazilian analysis keeps the PP and does not posit the applicative. Brito asks whether the applicative is required for the European pair. The dictionaries print the phrases and the clitic. They do not print that head. Open one sketch at a time. Which theta role is the object is the revisable note Causative templates and argument selection. This page does not edit that note.
Constructed · the finite verb in C · one external argument
[CP Pat_1
[C' enviou
[TP t_1
[VoiceP t_1 Voice ← Sender = Spec,Voice
… enviar … ]
T ]]]
✓ Pat enviou-lhe o pacote. constructed
The external argument is the Sender. English keeps that one subject on send. A passive of the thing is the printed foi enviado. A passive of the person, with no overt Sender, is unprinted. Nothing is constructed.
Recipient lhe or a+NP · para is the PP · direct Theme · working, revisable
[VoiceP Pat Voice
[ApplP_LOW [lhe]_DAT Appl ← Recipient · dative clitic · European
[VP √envi-
[Theme o pacote ]]]] ← Theme · direct object
[VoiceP Pat Voice
[ApplP_LOW [à Maria] Appl ← Recipient · a+NP · no clitic in the clause
[VP √envi-
[Theme o pacote ]]]]
[VoiceP Pat Voice
[VP √envi-
[Theme o pacote ]
[PP para [ a Maria ]]]] ← Goal · PP · Brazilian para · not lhe
[VoiceP Pat Voice
[VP √envi-
[Theme o pacote ]
[PP para [ Roma ]]]] ← place · para · clitic not lhe
The infinitive of mandar sits in the verb’s domain. Its agent, when the line fills one, is the direct object. There is no a on that infinitive in the lines opened. que plus the subjunctive is the finite order. embora is not a Recipient.
[VoiceP Pat Voice
[VP √mand-
[Theme o João ] ← the person who is sent · bare
[Inf comprar ]]] ← bare infinitive · not a + infinitive
[VoiceP Pat Voice
[VP √mand-
[CP que [ se calassem ]]]] ← subjunctive order
[VoiceP Pat Voice
[VP √mand-
[Theme o ] ← the person sent away
[ embora ]]] ← glossed · no printed clause
✓ enviou-lhe uma carta Calindro · dative Recipient
✓ a todos os gerentes Michaelis · a+NP · no clitic in the clause
✓ para Roma Infopédia · PP Goal
✓ Mandou o garoto à padaria Michaelis · direct-object person · PP Goal
* Pat enviou-lhe o pacote. lhe = Roma constructed · a place is not the dative the articles print
Working · no English send page is opened · Spanish is enviar · Italian is mandare · French is envoyer · German is schicken
[VoiceP Pat Voice ← Sender
[ApplP_LOW her Appl ← Recipient · bare object
[VP √SEND
[Theme a letter ]]]] ← I'll send her a letter
· Cambridge [+ two objects]
· Portuguese a / para / lhe
· not a bare noun
[VoiceP Pat Voice
[VP √SEND
[Theme them ]
[PP to [ the company ]]]] ← send them to the company
· Portuguese para / a
· not lhe
· até unprinted on the verb
Cambridge’s [+ two objects] lines put a person in the first object. The to line puts a place in the PP. A place in the first object is unprinted. Portuguese enviou-lhe is the Recipient as a clitic. Portuguese a todos os gerentes is the Recipient as a, without the clitic in that clause. Portuguese para ele is the Brazilian strong pronoun. Portuguese para Roma is the place PP. Spanish se lo envió a sus amigas is the Recipient doubled by a full noun. Italian a fare la spesa is a before the infinitive. French y is the place clitic. German mir is a bare dative, which a Portuguese full noun does not spell.
| Layer | send (EN) · no page | enviar | enviar · live | mandare · live | envoyer · live | schicken · live |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spec,Voice | Sender | Sender | Sender | Sender | Sender | Sender |
| Recipient | bare first object, where the entry prints [+ two objects] | a+NP or lhe/lhes in European Portuguese · para+NP, and para/a ele, the common Brazilian cloth · me/te stay · a full noun is not doubled | a+NP and le/les · doubled · se before lo | a+NP or gli/le · printed apart · glielo with the Theme clitic | à+NP or lui · printed apart | bare dative · also an+accusative |
| Theme | object | direct object · passive foi enviado is printed | direct object | direct object | direct object | accusative |
| Person sent | object + to + place | bare direct object · clitic o · no preposition on that person | personal a · clitic lo | bare direct object · no personal a | direct object | accusative |
| Place | to · not the first object | para or a · not lhe · lá / para lá · até unprinted on the verb | a or para · not le | a, in, or da · clitic ci | à, en, or chez · clitic y | nach, in, zu, or an |
| Order | to-infinitive on the cause-to-go sense | bare infinitive · que + subjunctive · mandar embora is the dismiss gloss | mandar + infinitive, or que + subjunctive · a + infinitive sends someone to do something | a + infinitive · mandare a dire · mandare via | bare infinitive | wegschicken is send away |
On enviar the a phrase or lhe is the Recipient and the direct object is the Theme, and a para phrase is a further marking. The analogy with the added indirect object on the live Spanish and Italian send pages is the marking. It is not a claim that those roles are one role.
Working paper · October 2026 · Portuguese micro-entry · Beyond Index 2
Sending in Portuguese is not one marking of the third slot. Sender (Voice, subject), Theme (complement of the root, direct object), and either a Recipient (low Appl, European a+NP or dative lhe/lhes, working and revisable) or a Goal (a PP inside the verb’s domain: para, the common Brazilian cloth, or a of a place). me and te stay. A full Recipient noun is not doubled. lhe is the Recipient. A place is not lhe. mandar plus a bare infinitive, and mandar que plus the subjunctive, are the order. mandar embora is the dismiss gloss. English send her a letter is a double object. Spanish doubles le. Italian prints a before the infinitive. send Paris a letter is unprinted.
Not a flat grid of three sisters, and not one case frame copied from the English gloss. Voice adds the Sender. Low Appl adds the Recipient where the cloth is European a or lhe. A PP adds the Goal, inside the verb’s domain, and that PP is the common Brazilian spelling of the person. The root takes the Theme. The drawing is working and revisable.
What Portuguese changes, against English send her a letter and send them a reply, is that the person is a, para, or lhe, not a bare object. What Portuguese changes, against English send them to a place, is that the place is para or a, and that the place is not lhe. The clitic separates them. lhe and lhes are the Recipient. o is the person who is sent. A place takes para or a, and the adverb is lá. What Portuguese changes, against Spanish enviar, is the missing doubling of a full noun, the missing personal a, and para as a printed Recipient cloth. What Portuguese changes, against Italian mandare, is the bare infinitive, where Italian prints a. What Portuguese changes, against German schicken, is that a full noun has no bare dative.
Dictionary frames: Priberam enviar, mandar, remeter, despachar, até, and lá; Infopédia / Porto Editora for enviar, mandar, remeter, and despachar; Michaelis for the same four verbs. Grammar: Brito 2014 on the European ditransitive, the place, and doubling; Calindro 2015 on enviar in European and Brazilian Portuguese; Salles and Torres Morais 2020 on para ele, on me/te, and on doubling, the verb there being dar; Ciberdúvidas on lhe as the substitute of an a or para indirect object, the printed clause being dar. English lines: Cambridge send, learner and business. Constructed clauses put a printed marking on a named sender. à Maria, para a Maria, para ele, para lá, and o João are the working limits of the printed frames. Index 2 does not list these lemmas. Spanish send is enviar. Italian send is mandare. French send is envoyer. German send is schicken.
Records the direct-object Theme of enviar and of mandar. Records the European Recipient as a+NP or as lhe/lhes, and the Brazilian Recipient as para+NP, commonly, with para/a ele where the third-person clitic drops out. Records that me and te stay, on the dar line the paper prints. Records that a full Recipient noun is not doubled. Records the place as a or para, and not as lhe. Records the bare infinitive and mandar que plus the subjunctive. Records mandar embora as the gloss Michaelis prints. Records remeter and despachar where the send sense is printed. Does not open an English page.