ela
/ˈɛ.lɐ/
The Portuguese word for "she" is ela.
ela is used to refer to a female person.
Meaning: person (pron)
Which one should you use?
The masculine counterpart to ela is ele (he).
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form is elas, which is used specifically when referring to a group of females.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable. The IPA is /ˈɛ.lɐ/.
Did you know?
- Portuguese uses a system of 'clitic pronouns' like a or la to replace ela when it is the object of a sentence, meaning you rarely say eu amo ela in formal writing.
- When referring to a group of people that includes both men and women, Portuguese uses the masculine plural eles instead of elas.
- The word ela can be used in a stylistic 'double subject' construction, where the speaker identifies the person first and then uses ela to maintain the focus of the sentence.
Examples in context
- Ela é sua mãe?Is she your mother?This sentence is useful for asking if ela is someone's mother.Tatoeba #978512 by alexmarcelo, translation #310268 by CK
- Ela é tua mãe?Is she your mom?This sentence is useful for asking if ela is someone's mom.Tatoeba #978513 by alexmarcelo, translation #3951963 by felvideki
- Ela ama o Tom.She loves Tom.This sentence is useful for stating that ela loves Tom.Tatoeba #996753 by alexmarcelo, translation #311828 by CK
- Ela é uma ótima cantora.She is a great singer.
- Ela trabalha como médica.She works as a doctor.
- Ela está estudando para sua prova.She is studying for her exam.
- Ela é minha irmã.She is my sister.
- Ela gosta de ler.She likes to read.
- Ela está sempre sorrindo.She is always smiling.
- A gente acha que ela está certa.We think she is right.
- A gente precisa falar com ela.We need to talk to her.
- Ela é uma rapariga muito inteligenteShe is a very intelligent girl.
- 7665 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Felipe and Beatriz are talking about a coworker at the office.
- FelipeEla é muito inteligente.She is very intelligent.
- BeatrizSim, ela trabalha muito bem.Yes, she works very well.
- FelipeVocê conhece a nova chefe?Do you know the new boss?
- BeatrizSim, eu já falei com ela.Yes, I already spoke with her.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “she” translations and entries ela, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
