Mastering the Phrase ‘Um ao Outro’ in Portuguese (10 examples)

Somehow, saying one another in Portuguese or, to each other just seems too tricky in Portuguese. Let's take a closer look at this much-overlooked phrase to see what it is exactly that's tripping us up. Hint: it's the ao that's the problem 😵.

• Let's
• break
• it
• down.

In English we say things like,

We'll see each other later today.
We understand one another other.

Where,
Um ao outro = one another == each other

one another in Portuguese

It's all pretty simple.

👨🏼‍🎓 We know we can express each of these like this,

We'll see each other later today. ➜ A gente se vê hoje mais tarde.
We understand each other. ➜ A gente se entende.

Why not stop there? ☞ Because you WILL hear people say it with um ao outro too, so you'd best know what it means. ALSO, you've seen how using verbs in the reflexive way can get very (very) confusing! The examples above are using the reflexive because that's what you have to do when using a verb that's acting on itself.

There are always the less memorable ones too like,

We understand each other. ➜ Nos nós entendemos. (😵‍💫!)

It took me quite a long time to get the hang of the "Nos nós..."and I found it much simpler to use um ao outro. Like this,

We'll see each other later today. ➜ A gente se vê hoje mais tarde. ➜ (using um ao outro) ➜ A gente vê uma ao outro mais tarde.

We understand each other. ➜ A gente se entende. ➜ (using um ao outro) ➜ A gente entende um a o outro.

See that? The um ao outro is taking the place of the reflexive prepositions (me, se, nos). In other words, you can always use um ao outro as a stand-in for these hard-to-remember reflexive sentences.

✪ OBSERVE: It's always outro, never outra. It's masculine by default: UM AO OUTRO. (if it were feminine it would be: uma à outra - but it is not)

The examples say it all...

Using um ao outro

These are the most-used phrases employing the um ao outro (in Brazil). In each of these I'm presenting the um ao outro approach followed by the equivalent sentence using a reflexive verb to give you more options - and to remind you that there are always OTHER WAYS to express the same thing.

Or, using the reflexive instead: Eles se cuidam.

Or, using the reflexive: Eles vão se aceitar.

Reflexive: Nós temos que aprender a nos comunicar.

Reflexive: Eles se protegem.

Reflexive: Nós não temos nada nos falar.

Or, using the reflexive instead: Eles se fazem felizes.

Reflexive: Nós vamos nos ajudar.

Ainda mais exemplos: um ao outro

Using um ao outro - It's not always ao!

Literally, ao = to the (other)
And of course, sometimes it's not a simple a + o, but can also be de + o or even com + o. When? The rule is this: The right preposition {words like a, (at/to), de (of/from), com (with), em (in)} depends on the context - there is no rule! Language evolves to favor the better-sounding combinations or subtleties in meaning (I'm speaking with you not at you for example) and the best way to learn these is through repetition (ie, practice).

*O verbo GOSTAR always needs a "de", right? You can replace the ao with de + o ➜ do.
Using the reflexive: Eles não se gostam.

✻ This one is often expressed without any reflexive at all! I don't know why 😵.
A calça e a camisa combinam.

Um ao outro: It's a bit formal.

Brazilians will generally opt for the less formal sounding reflexive (a gente se fala...). But it's a BIG advantage to know how to say the same thing without needing the reflexive pronoun (A gente fala um ao outro...).

Examples of "um ao outro" in context: Reverso Context