Grammar

The personal infinitive: a verb form Spanish doesn't have

B1–B2By Diogo PortugalNovember 20265 min read

Para fazermos, antes de saíres, depois de chegarem: an infinitive with endings. What it is, when to use it and the most common mistake.

The form

Take the infinitive and add an ending for the person: falar (eu), falares (tu), falar (ele/ela/você), falarmos (nós), falarem (eles/vocês). It works the same for every verb, even irregular ones: fazermos, irem, terem.

When to use it

Mostly after a preposition or an impersonal expression, when you want to make clear who does the action:

Antes de saíres, fecha a janela.
Before you go out, close the window.
Fala devagar para eles perceberem.
Speak slowly so that they understand.
É importante estudarmos um pouco todos os dias.
It's important for us to study a little every day.
Depois de chegarem, liguem-me.
Call me after you arrive.
Try thisSpanish needs para que + subjunctive (para que entiendan); Portuguese can simply say para perceberem. The common mistake is to forget the ending: para nós fazer ✗ → para nós fazermos ✓.
Quick check
É melhor ___ cedo. (nós, sair)

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