Infinitive verbs in Brazilian Portuguese: What are they and how to use them?

An infinitive is the dictionary form of a verb, the equivalent of the English “to verb” form. In Brazilian Portuguese they mostly end in -ar, -er, and -ir.

In Brazilian Portuguese, infinitives can be used as verbs or as nouns, depending on the context.

• Eu devo encontrar a Joana mais tarde.

  Translation: I may meet Joana later.

  This infinitive is used as a verb, alongside the modal verb devo.
• Viver aqui é muito bom.

  Translation: Living here is very good.

  This infinitive is used as a noun, as the subject of a sentence.

Infinitives can also be placed after impersonal expressions or after prepositions. Aren’t they fascinating? If you are curious to know more about infinitives and their uses in Brazilian Portuguese, keep reading this post.

Infinitives are the base of the verb form and commonly end in -ar, -er, or -ir in Brazilian Portuguese. These endings represent the three possible verb patterns for conjugating verbs.

There are two types of infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese: the impersonal infinitive and the personal infinitive.

In this post, we will cover the impersonal infinitives, which is used to mention a verb or action generically. This form of the infinitive is always invariable.

Check out our post on Brazilian Portuguese personal infinitives to learn more about the other kind.

Now that you've seen what infinitives are and how they look in Brazilian Portuguese, it will be helpful to talk about when they are used. Let’s start!

Brazilian Portuguese infinitive verbs can be used in some environments that will be familiar to English speakers, but are also often used in cases where we use the “-ing” form or the bare infinitive form in English instead. Let’s have a look!

• Using infinitives after modal verbs

  In Brazilian Portuguese, modal verbs are always followed by infinitive verbs. A modal verb is a verb like "can", "must", or "should" — an auxiliary verb that adds more information about why the main action is being mentioned (is it an ability, something you’re requesting, a possibility, etc.).

  modal verbinfinitive verb

  Eu posso correr uma maratona.

  Translation: I can run a marathon.

  A padaria deve abrir às 8 da manhã.

  Translation: The bakery ought to open at 8 in the morning.

  As crianças têm que limpar o quarto agora.

  Translation: The bakery ought to open at 8 in the morning.

  Precisamos estudar mais para a prova.

  Translation: We need to study more for the test.

  Check out this list of other modal verbs in Brazilian Portuguese and their meanings.

  To use the infinitive of a passive verb after a modal. To do this use the following structure:

  modal

  

  ser (meaning to be)

  

  past participle

  Marta pode/deve ser escolhida para ganhar o prêmio.

  Translation: Marta can/may be chosen to win the award.

• Using infinitives after verbs

  We also use infinitives after certain non-modal verbs. For example:

  infinitive

  Nós curtimos caminhar na praia.

  Translation: We enjoy walking on the beach.

  Roberta e Amanda odeiam jogar futebol.

  Translation: Roberta and Amanda hate playing soccer.

  Ela tentou correr uma milha.

  Translation: She tried to run a mile.

  In English, these kinds of verbs are often followed by the “-ing” form of a verb, but in Brazilian Portuguese we always use the infinitive.

• Using infinitives to talk about the future

  It’s common to use the construction ir (meaning to go) + infinitive to talk about the future in Brazilian Portuguese, as in:

  infinitive

  Eu vou trabalhar amanhã.

  Translation: I will work tomorrow. / I am going to work tomorrow.

  Read our post on how to express the future in Brazilian Portuguese to learn more!

• Using infinitives as the subject of a sentence

  Infinitives can also be used as the subject of a sentence, much like we would use a noun. We use sentences like these most often to give a general statement or opinion.

  infinitive

  Caminhar faz bem para a sua saúde.

  Translation: Walking is good for your health.

  Notice that this is once again a case where, in Brazilian Portuguese, we use an infinitive where, in English, you’d more naturally use an “-ing” form.

• Using infinitives with impersonal expressions

  We often use infinitives after impersonal expressions, such as é possível (meaning it is possible), é impossível (meaning it is impossible), é fácil (meaning it is easy), or é bom (meaning it is good).

  infinitive

  É impossível dormir até mais tarde durante o verão.

  Translation: It is impossible to sleep till late during summer.

  É fácil aprender português?

  Translation: Is it easy to learn Portuguese?

• Using infinitives after prepositions

  When Brazilian Portuguese prepositions are followed by verbs, these verbs are always in the infinitive form.

  prepositioninfinitive

  Saber informática é importante para conseguir um emprego.

  Translation: Knowing I.T. is important to get / for getting a job.

  Eu fiz a correção do trabalho sem pensar.

  Translation: I did the assignment correction without thinking.

• Using infinitives after ‘depois de,’ ‘antes de,’ ‘além de’

  There are also some fixed expressions in Brazilian Portuguese that end in a preposition. These, too, are followed by the infinitive form of a verb. Let’s take a look at some examples below.

  • depois de (meaning after), antes de (meaning before), além de (meaning beyond, besides)

    infinitive

    Depois de ler o livro, quero assistir ao filme.

    Translation: After reading the book, I want to watch the movie.

  • não tem nada a (meaning to have nothing to), tem tudo a (meaning to have everything to)

    infinitive

    Ele não tem nada a perder.

    Translation: He has nothing to lose.

    Mário tem tudo a ganhar com o novo emprego.

    Translation: Mário has everything to earn with the new job.

• ‘Ao’ + infinitive

  The infinitive is also used after ao (preposition a + article o), which can be translated into “upon.” The combination ao + infinitive is equivalent to Brazilian Portuguese quando (meaning when) + conjugated verb.

  infinitive

  Ao falar com o Mário, Carlos esqueceu de dar o meu recado.

  Translation: Upon talking to Mário, Carlos forgot to give my message.

  Quando falou com o Mário, Carlos esqueceu de dar o meu recado.

  Translation: When he talked to Mário, Carlos forgot to give my message.

  These two examples have equivalent meanings!

Infinitives can be used to give a general command instruction or to make general statements on signs, posters, and ads:

The perfect infinitive is a type of infinitive that is used to indicate that the action of the infinitive happens before the action expressed by the main verb. It has the following structure:

The perfect infinitive can be used in some of the same contexts as the simple infinitive: after modals, impersonal expressions, and prepositions, but the perfect infinitive cannot be used as a noun or to give command or general statement.

• When to use the perfect infinitive with modals?

  The perfect infinitive is commonly used after modal verbs to express assumptions, possibilities, or wishes about the past.

  modalperfect infinitive

  Eles já deveriam ter chegado.

  Translation: They should have already arrived.

  They arrived in the past.

  Murilo pode ter falado com o Marcos sobre a sua decisão.

  Translation: Murilo may have spoken to Marcos about his decision.

  He spoke in the past.

  Os alunos poderiam ter entregado o trabalho na semana passada.

  Translation: The students could have delivered their work last week.

  They delivered it in the past.

• When to use the perfect infinitive after an impersonal expression?

  The perfect infinitive can also be used after impersonal expressions, but the only difference is that the verb from the main clause is often conjugated in the preterite tense. So, instead of é bom (meaning it is good), you might say foi bom (meaning it was good).

  preteriteperfect infinitive

  Foi bom ter trabalhado com você.

  Translation: It was good to have worked with you.

• How to use the perfect infinitive after prepositions

  The perfect infinitive is placed after prepositions like por (meaning by, for) and de (meaning of, from), as well as after the expressions depois de (meaning after), antes de (meaning before), and além de (meaning beyond, besides), when the action being discussed is finished before the main action.

  perfect infinitive

  Estou feliz por ter encontrado um novo apartamento.

  Translation: I am glad to have found a new apartment.

  Depois de ter falado com a Tatiane, fui embora para casa.

  Translation: After having talked to Tatiane, I went home.

  Notice that the perfect infinitive in Brazilian Portuguese can sometimes be translated with the gerund in English: ter falado (meaning having talked).

In this post, we talked about infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese, which are verbs in their basic form with -ar, -er, and -ir endings. You learned that:

• Infinitives can be placed after modal verbs or verbs that function as modals, as in:

  • Devemos partir daqui a pouco.

    Translation: We must leave soon.
  • Carlos adora conversar com você.

    Translation: Carlos loves talking to you.

• Infinitives can also function as nouns, as in:

  Praticar esportes é importante.

  Translation: Practicing sports is important.

• They can also be placed after impersonal expressions or prepositions, like é importante (meaning is it important) and depois de (meaning after), as in:

  Depois de tomar banho, eu vou te ligar.

  Translation: After taking a shower, I will call you.

• They can be used to give a command or a general statement, as in:

  Não falar alto.

  Translation: Do not speak loudly.

• Finally, infinitives have a perfect form: the perfect infinitive, which can also be used after modals, impersonal expressions, and prepositions, as in:

  • Eu deveria ter pensando nisso antes.

    Translation: I should have thought about this before.
  • Foi bom ter visto o Marcos ontem.

    Translation: It was good to have seen Marcos yesterday.
  • Ele dormiu mal por ter tido insônia.

    Translation: He slept badly because he got insomnia.

  A very important fact you saw in this post is that Brazilian Portuguese often uses infinitives where English uses “-ing” verbs, as in:

  Eu gosto de caminhar.

  Translation: I like walking.

  So, pay attention to this difference in use.

Are you ready to practice using infinitives in Brazilian Portuguese with our activities?