In Brazilian Portuguese, some constructions that use prepositions like a meaning to, of, de meaning from, and em meaning in can be a bit confusing. These prepositions can follow verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs, and slightly change their meanings or alter the structure of the rest of the sentence.
For example, the adjective acostumado meaning accustomed, used to needs a different preposition, depending on whether it’s used before an infinitive verb or a noun phrase.
Before an infinitive verb, we use the preposition a meaning to:
infinitiveEstou acostumado a acordar cedo.Translation: I am accustomed to waking up early.Before a noun phrase or pronoun, we use com meaning with:
noun phraseEstou acostumado com o tempo frio.Translation: I am accustomed to the cold weather.
The presence of prepositions may also change the meaning of the word they accompany. For instance, the verb assistir:
when followed by the preposition a meaning to, of means “to watch” or “to witness,” as in:
Assistimos ao final da novela ontem.Translation: We watched the end of the soap opera yesterday.without the preposition a, it means “to assist,” as in:
As enfermeiras assistiram o paciente.Translation: The nurses assisted the patient.
Prepositions play a crucial role in shaping the overall structure and meaning of sentences. In this post you will learn how verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs combined with prepositions can enhance one’s ability to communicate effectively in Brazilian Portuguese and to construct coherent and meaningful sentences in a variety of contexts. Let’s start!
How to use prepositions with verbs?
In Brazilian Portuguese, verbs are often accompanied by prepositions that help convey their specific meaning and establish their relationship with other parts of the sentence.
For example, the verb viajar meaning to travel is commonly followed by the preposition para meaning to to indicate direction and destination, as in:
Similarly, the verb falar meaning to speak can be followed by com meaning with to indicate communication with someone, as in:
But falar can also be used with de meaning from, of with the meaning of “to talk about” someone or something, as in:
Below, we’ve handpicked some verbs in Brazilian Portuguese, that demonstrate the ways that the presence of a preposition can impact the meaning of the verb and the structure of the rest of the sentence.
‘Aspirar a’
The verb aspirar a means “to aspire” or “to wish.” It can be followed by a noun, a pronoun, or a verb in the infinitive form, as in:
- nounRoberta sempre aspirou ao sucesso.Translation: Roberta has always aspired to success.
- infinitive verbO time de futebol aspira a vencer o campeonato.Translation: The football team aspires to win the championship.
However, it is also possible to use the verb aspirar without a preposition if it is followed by a noun or pronoun. In this case, it means “to vacuum” or “to breathe”:
‘Precisar de’ vs. ‘precisar’
The verb precisar de meaning to need means “to need” something when it is followed by a noun or a pronoun:
- nounEu preciso de tempo para terminar a comida.Translation: I need time to finish the food.
- pronounEu preciso de você agora.Translation: I need you now.
In Brazilian Portuguese, when precisar is not followed by the preposition de, it means “to need to do something.” In this case, it is always accompanied by a verb in the infinitive form, as in the example below:
‘Acreditar em’
The phrase acreditar em means “to believe in” something or in somebody. The verb acreditar is always accompanied by this preposition. Acreditar em can be followed by a noun or a pronoun, as in:
- noun phraseEles acreditam em milagres.Translation: They believe in miracles.
- pronounEu acredito em você.Translation: I believe in you.
Here is a list of other verbs followed by prepositions with their meanings and examples.
Constructions with nouns followed by prepositions
In Brazilian Portuguese, the relationship between nouns and prepositions plays a significant role in shaping the meaning and structure of sentences. Nouns can be accompanied by prepositions, to more precisely express their meaning or how they are related to other parts of the sentence.
For example, in o carro do meu pai meaning my father's car, the use of de meaning from, of after the noun carro meaning car indicates that we are talking about possession.
Below, we’ve selected some nouns followed by prepositions in Brazilian Portuguese, that can help you explore the specific meanings and structure that arise when they are combined.
Noun + preposition ‘de’ for possession
As we saw in the example given above, the preposition de meaning of can be used after a noun when we are talking about possession. For example, amigo de meaning friend of is used before the possessor of the friend. The preposition de in this construction is followed by a noun or pronoun.
‘Café de’
The phrase café de can be used in a few different ways:
café de + owner = “the coffee of” + owner
This follows the possessive meaning of noun + de discussed above.
café de + time of day
Though the combination of a noun + de is most often used in discussions of possession, when de follows nouns that can be “taken” at different times of day (in particular, café), this preposition can also tell you whether it’s your morning coffee, afternoon coffee, or evening coffee. For example:
nounAdoro tomar café de manhã.Translation: I love to drink coffee in the morning.In this case, de manhã can be replaced by de tarde / à tarde meaning in the afternoon or de noite / à noite meaning in the evening, at night.
café da manhã
The whole expression café da manhã has an idiomatic different meaning – it is used to refer to breakfast.
Adoro tomar café da manhã no Brasil.Translation: I love to have breakfast in Brazil.
Take a look at this list here with other nouns followed by prepositions and their meanings.
‘Doutor em’ for degrees of specializations
The combination of the noun doutor meaning doctor and the preposition em meaning in is used to indicate someone's academic degree. Specifically, it is used to describe a person who has earned a doctoral degree in a particular field of study, and is always followed by a noun. For example:
- Doutor em MedicinaTranslation: Doctor of Medicine
- Doutor em EngenhariaTranslation: Doctor of Engineering
- Doutor em PsicologiaTranslation: Doctor of Psychology
Constructions with adjectives followed by prepositions
Adjectives play a crucial role in describing and adding detail to nouns, and we can often refine their meaning by using them together with certain prepositions. For instance, below we will explore the adjective livre meaning free, which can be followed by the preposition de meaning from, of or para meaning to.
As we will see, different adjective + preposition combinations will require different sentence structures and lend different meanings to the adjective or sentence as a whole.
‘Livre’ + preposition ‘de’ vs. ‘livre’ + preposition ‘para’
The adjective livre meaning free can be combined with either de meaning from, of or para meaning to, and the preposition you use will influence both the meaning of the adjective and the structure of the sentence.
Livre de has the same meaning as sem meaning without, and is used to indicate the absence or lack of something. Notice in the examples below that livre de is followed by a noun:
- livre de glúten = sem glútenTranslation: gluten-free
- livre de culpa = sem culpaTranslation: guilt-free
- livre de preocupações = sem preocupaçõesTranslation: free from worries
And here is an example of livre de followed by a pronoun:
Ela está livre deles.Translation: Ela está livre deles.de + eles = delesLivre para means “free to.” Notice in the examples below that livre para is followed by a verb in the infinitive form.
- livre para sair = autorizado(a) a sairTranslation: free to leave
- livre para falar = permitido(a) a falarTranslation: free to speak
- livre para escolher = autorizado(a) a escolherTranslation: free to choose
Livre para is synonymous with autorizado(a) a meaning authorized to or permitido(a) a meaning allowed to, which are adjectives followed by the preposition a meaning to, instead.
‘Adaptado(a) a’ vs. ‘adaptado(a) de’
In Brazilian Portuguese, the adjective adaptado(a) meaning adapted can be followed by the preposition a meaning to or the preposition de meaning from, of, forming two different constructions with distinct meanings.
Adaptado(a) a is used to express that something or someone is adapted to a particular situation, environment, or condition. It indicates that the subject has undergone changes or modifications to fit or function effectively in a given context. As the example below shows, adaptado(a) a is often followed by a noun.
nounFabiana está adaptada ao ritmo acelerado da cidade.Translation: Fabiana is adapted to the fast pace of the city.Adaptado(a) de is used to express that something or someone has been adapted or derived from a specific source or origin. It indicates that the noun it describes has undergone changes or transformations based on a pre-existing model or influence. Adaptado(a) de is also followed by a noun.
nounEsse filme é adaptado de um livro famoso.Translation: This movie is adapted from a famous book.
‘Interessado(a) em’
The phrase interessado(a) em means “interested in.” This phrase is the most common use of the adjective interessado(a), and it can come before a noun or an infinitive verb:
- nounAna está sempre interessada em novas tecnologias.
- infinitiveJosé está interessado em aprender a tocar violão.Translation: José is interested in learning to play guitar.
Here is a list with more adjectives followed by prepositions and their meanings.
Constructions with adverbs followed by prepositions
In Brazilian Portuguese, adverbs followed by prepositions add depth and precision to the language, allowing for more nuanced expressions. These combinations help convey specific meanings. For example, the adverb bem meaning well can be followed by the preposition com meaning with, giving rise to bem com, which means “be fine with” or “well along with,” as in:
- Estou bem com a equipe de trabalho.Translation: I am fine with the work team.
- Estou me dando bem com a equipe de trabalho.Translation: I am getting along well with the work team.
Let’s now take a look at other examples of adverbs followed by prepositions and their particular meanings when used with these prepositions.
‘Apenas com’ vs. ‘apenas’
The adverb apenas meaning only, just can be combined with the preposition com meaning with to create the phrase apenas com meaning just with which is followed by a noun. When used together, it indicates that something is happening exclusively in the presence or company of someone or something else.
When used without a preposition, apenas means “only” and refers to an obstacle or difficulty, or something done in a painful or exhaustive way. In this case, it is often followed by an adverb of time, such as agora meaning now.
Apenas without a preposition can also be used to mean exclusivity and is placed before a noun or a pronoun.
‘Longe de’
The combination of the adverb longe meaning far with the preposition de meaning from, longe de, means “far from.” Longe de can be followed by a noun, pronoun or even another adverb, such as aqui meaning here.
- nounA praia está longe de casa.Translation: The beach is far from home.
- adverbA praia está longe daqui.Translation: The beach is far from here.
Longe can also be used without a preposition, especially if the implied spatial reference is from aqui meaning from here. In this case, you can also say:
‘Junto a’ and ‘junta de’
The adverb junto meaning together, close can be combined with the prepositions a meaning to or de meaning from to create the synonymous expressions junto a and junto de, which mean “close to,” or “next to.” These are commonly followed by a noun:
Junto a and junto de are synonymous with two other phrases, perto de meaning close to and ao lado de meaning next to, which are also commonly used to describe spatial proximity or physical closeness.
Junto can also be used without a preposition. However, in this case, it functions as an adjective, agreeing in gender and number with the noun or pronoun it refers to.
Take a look at other examples of adverbs followed by prepositions and their meanings.
Summary
In this post, we saw that in Brazilian Portuguese, the construction of verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs with prepositions enriches the language, adding depth and precision to sentences. The preposition used with the verb, noun, adjective, or adverb can change the sentence structure and often provides a slight difference in meaning. Sometimes the same word can be followed by more than one preposition — or no preposition at all — lending the sentence a different meaning or structure. We mentioned that:
When verbs are followed by prepositions, they create unique meanings and often indicate specific actions or relationships.
Nouns followed by prepositions convey possession, location, or other relationships, providing context to the sentence.
Adjectives followed by prepositions add detail and enhance the description of nouns, expressing characteristics and emotions.
Adverbs combined with prepositions specify spatial relationships, manner of actions, or other circumstances.
Now, practice using prepositions in Brazilian Portuguese with our activity. Have fun!
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