Portuguese grammar · Intermediate (B1)
The personal infinitive
The Portuguese infinitive with personal endings (para nós falarmos, antes de eles saírem) and how it replaces que + subjunctive.
An infinitive with endings
In Portuguese the infinitive can take endings that show who is doing the action: , , . This “personal infinitive” is rare among languages, and it makes many sentences simpler. The subject goes before it: (before you leave).
The endings are -es, -mos and -em, and the and forms are the same as the plain infinitive. It is always regular, even for irregular verbs: , , . For regular verbs it looks exactly like the future subjunctive, but irregular verbs differ: (future subjunctive), (personal infinitive).
| Person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| / / | |||
| / / |
After prepositions
Use it after (so that), (before), (after), (without), (until), (despite), (for, because of) and (when, on doing) when the subject is different from the main verb or needs to be clear. takes the form: .
- Antes de vocês começarem, quero dizer uma coisa.Before you start, I want to say something.
- Ela falou devagar para nós entendermos.She spoke slowly so that we would understand.
- Depois de eles saírem, a gente limpou tudo.After they left, we cleaned everything.
- Apesar de eles serem novos, trabalham muito bem.Although they're young, they work very well.
- Obrigado por vocês terem vindo.Thank you for coming.
- Fiquem aqui até eles chegarem.Stay here until they arrive.
After é + adjective
It also follows impersonal expressions such as , , , and : (It's important for you to know this). The subject can also be left out when the ending makes it clear: .
- É melhor a gente sair cedo.We'd better leave early.
- É importante o senhor caminhar todo dia.It's important for you to walk every day.
- É preciso eles assinarem o contrato.They need to sign the contract.
Instead of que + subjunctive
Many sentences with + subjunctive can be said with the personal infinitive, and in speech the infinitive is often preferred because it's shorter. When the subject is the same as in the main verb, the plain infinitive is usual: (We left early to arrive on time).
| With + subjunctive | With the personal infinitive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| so that they understand | ||
| before you leave | ||
| without anyone noticing | ||
| until you arrive | ||
| It's important for us to talk. |