Uninflected infinitives in subordinate phrases

In brief

In Brazilian Portuguese, an uninflected infinitive can express an action linked to a main clause: what happens before or after it, what happens without it, or why someone does it. When the person doing both actions is understood from the main clause, the infinitive stays in its basic form.

Form

Preposition or prepositional phrase + basic infinitive: antes de sair (before leaving), depois de comer (after eating), sem avisar (without letting someone know), para estudar (to study).

Usage

• Use antes de and depois de to place an action before or after another action.
• Use sem to say that someone does something without taking another action.
• Use para to express the purpose of an action. The infinitive does not change for the person doing it in these examples.

Examples

• Vou tomar café antes de sair. — I’ll have coffee before leaving.
• Ela foi embora sem avisar. — She left without letting anyone know.
• Depois de almoçar, a gente volta ao trabalho. — After lunch, we go back to work.
• Estudo para conseguir um emprego melhor. — I study to get a better job.

Common mistake

❌ Saí antes comer.

✅ Saí antes de comer.

Use antes de, not just antes, before an infinitive meaning ‘before doing something’.

Remember

In these phrases, the infinitive keeps its dictionary form even when the main verb changes tense.