The Infinitive: The Base Form of the Verb

The infinitive is the purest form of the verb, expressing action or state in its essence, without indication of tense, mood, or person. It’s the form we find in dictionaries and serves as the base for all verbal conjugation.

What is the Infinitive?

The infinitive represents:

• Nominal form of the verb: cantar (to sing), vender (to sell), partir (to leave)
• Abstract action: Viver é preciso (Living is necessary)
• Name of the action: O cantar dos pássaros (The singing of birds)
• Base for conjugation: cant-ar → canto, cantas, canta

Types of Infinitive

1. Impersonal Infinitive

Doesn’t inflect, remaining invariable:

• É proibido fumar (Smoking is prohibited)
• Quero aprender português (I want to learn Portuguese)
• Preciso estudar mais (I need to study more)

2. Personal Infinitive

Inflects according to person:

Person	Singular	Plural
1st	para eu falar (for me to speak)	para nós falarmos (for us to speak)
2nd	para tu falares (for you to speak)	para vós falardes (for you to speak)
3rd	para ele/ela falar (for him/her to speak)	para eles/elas falarem (for them to speak)

Personal Infinitive Formation

Regular Verbs

Conjugation	Infinitive	I	You (sing.)	He/She	We	You (pl.)	They
1st (-ar)	cantar	cantar	cantares	cantar	cantarmos	cantardes	cantarem
2nd (-er)	vender	vender	venderes	vender	vendermos	venderdes	venderem
3rd (-ir)	partir	partir	partires	partir	partirmos	partirdes	partirem

Irregular Verbs

Even irregular verbs follow the regular pattern in the personal infinitive:

• Ser (to be): ser, seres, ser, sermos, serdes, serem
• Ter (to have): ter, teres, ter, termos, terdes, terem
• Vir (to come): vir, vires, vir, virmos, virdes, virem

Uses of the Impersonal Infinitive

1. After Modal Verbs

• Posso ajudar (I can help)
• Deve estudar (Should study)
• Quer viajar (Wants to travel)

2. After Prepositions

• Para conseguir o emprego (To get the job)
• Sem fazer esforço (Without making effort)
• Ao chegar em casa (Upon arriving home)

3. As a Noun

• O amanhecer é lindo (The dawn is beautiful)
• O saber não ocupa lugar (Knowledge takes no space)
• O viver é uma arte (Living is an art)

4. In Verbal Phrases

• Vou comprar pão (I’m going to buy bread)
• Estava a pensar em você (I was thinking of you - European Portuguese)
• Ando estudando muito (I’ve been studying a lot)

Uses of the Personal Infinitive

1. With Its Own Subject

• É importante estudarmos juntos (It’s important for us to study together)
• Para eles compreenderem a matéria (For them to understand the subject)
• Antes de vocês saírem (Before you leave)

2. To Avoid Ambiguity

• Vi os meninos correrem (I saw the boys running - they were running)
• Vi os meninos correr (I saw the boys run - I witnessed the action)

3. After Certain Expressions

• Apesar de estarmos cansados (Despite being tired)
• O fato de sermos brasileiros (The fact of being Brazilian)
• A possibilidade de conseguirmos o emprego (The possibility of getting the job)

Infinitive vs. Gerund

Situation	Infinitive	Gerund
After preposition	Ao chegar (Upon arriving)	Not used
Simultaneous action	Less common	Chegando, vi Maria (Arriving, I saw Maria)
With auxiliary	Vou fazer (I’m going to do)	Estou fazendo (I’m doing)

Common Errors

1. Confusion between Personal and Impersonal

❌ “É importante todos estudar” (It’s important everyone to study) ✅ “É importante todos estudarem” (It’s important for everyone to study)

2. Incorrect Use after Prepositions

❌ “Para eles conseguir” (For them to get - incorrect) ✅ “Para eles conseguirem” (For them to get - correct)

3. Unnecessary Inflection

❌ “Quero falares contigo” (I want you to speak with you) ✅ “Quero falar contigo” (I want to speak with you)

Infinitive in Idiomatic Expressions

Common Expressions

• Dar o que falar: to cause talk/gossip
• Deixar a desejar: to leave something to be desired
• Fazer por merecer: to earn/deserve through effort
• Ir ter com: to go meet with
• Vir a ser: to become

Proverbs

• “Errar é humano, perdoar é divino” (To err is human, to forgive is divine)
• “Querer é poder” (To want is to be able)
• “Ver para crer” (To see is to believe)

Regional Variations

Brazil vs. Portugal

Construction	Brazil	Portugal
Progressive	Estou fazendo	Estou a fazer
Near future	Vou fazer	Vou fazer
Command	Deixa eu ver	Deixa-me ver

Brazilian Regionalisms

• North/Northeast: “Vou mais ele” (I’ll go with him)
• South: Tendency toward personal infinitive
• Center-West: More conservative usage

The Infinitive in Other Languages

Comparison with English

Portuguese	English
Infinitive with “para”	Infinitive with “to”
Para estudar	To study
With personal inflection	No personal inflection

Comparison with Spanish

Spanish doesn’t have a personal infinitive, a unique characteristic of Portuguese:

• Portuguese: “Para eles entenderem” (For them to understand)
• Spanish: “Para que ellos entiendan” (subjunctive required)

Practical Applications

In Formal Writing

1. Clarity: Use personal infinitive to avoid ambiguities
2. Conciseness: The infinitive can replace subordinate clauses
3. Elegance: Varies sentence structure

In Oral Communication

1. Naturalness: Personal infinitive is a hallmark of Portuguese
2. Precision: Clearly indicates the subject of the action
3. Fluency: Avoids unnecessary repetitions

Practice Exercises

Complete with the Correct Form

1. É necessário ___ (we/to study) mais.
2. Antes de ___ (you pl./to leave), turn off the lights.
3. Quero ___ (to speak) com o diretor.
4. Para ___ (they/to get) the job, they need to prepare.

Answers

1. estudarmos (for us to study)
2. vocês saírem (you leave)
3. falar (to speak)
4. eles conseguirem (them to get)

Conclusion

The infinitive, especially in its personal form, is one of the most distinctive features of Portuguese. Mastering its use means not only speaking correctly but also taking advantage of all the expressive richness our language offers. Whether in formal writing or everyday speech, the infinitive allows us to express ideas with precision and elegance unique in the world of Romance languages.