Verb complements: infinitive with or without a preposition

In brief

When one verb follows another in Brazilian Portuguese, the second verb often stays in the infinitive. Some first verbs connect to it directly; others need a short word such as a or de. Learn the connection together with the first verb: English ‘to’ does not tell you which pattern Portuguese uses.

Form

conjugated verb + infinitive (querer fazer, tentar fazer); conjugated verb + a + infinitive (começar a fazer); conjugated verb + de + infinitive (parar de fazer).

Usage

• Use querer or tentar directly before an infinitive to express a wish or an attempt.
• Use começar a + infinitive to say that an activity begins.
• Use parar de + infinitive to say that an activity stops.

Examples

• Quero aprender português. — I want to learn Portuguese.
• Eles tentam cozinhar em casa. — They try to cook at home.
• Ela começou a trabalhar cedo. — She started working early.
• A gente parou de conversar. — We stopped talking.

Common mistake

❌ Ela começou trabalhar cedo.

✅ Ela começou a trabalhar cedo.

Começar needs a before an infinitive when it means ‘to start doing something’.

Remember

Remember the whole pattern with each first verb: querer fazer, começar a fazer, parar de fazer.