Portuguese Grammar - Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns

The indefinite pronouns todo, toda, todos, todas are followed by the definite article in European Portuguese, and also elsewhere when they mean "whole". Otherwise, articles and indefinite pronouns are mutually exclusive.

In the demonstratives and in some indefinite pronouns, there is a trace of the neuter gender of Latin. For example, todo and esse are used with masculine referents, toda and essa are used with feminine referents, and tudo and isso are used when there is no definite referent e.g. todo livro or todo o livro, "every book"; toda salada or toda a salada, "every salad"; tudo "everything", and so on:

este, esta, estes, estas ("this", "these"); isto ("this thing")

esse, essa, esses, essas ("that", "those"); isso ("that thing")

aquele, aquela, aqueles, aquelas ("that", "those"); aquilo ("that thing")

algum, alguma, alguns, algumas ("some"); algo ("something")

nenhum, nenhuma, nenhuns, nenhumas ("no"); nada ("nothing")

todo, toda, todos, todas ("every", "all"); tudo ("everything")

In terms of agreement, however, these "neuter" words function as masculine: both todo and tudo take masculine adjective pronouns.