Infinitivo pessoal

The Personal Infinitive (infinitivo pessoal)

Portuguese has a special form of the infinitive called the personal infinitive (infinitivo pessoal), which can be inflected for person and number. Unlike the regular (impersonal) infinitive, this form indicates who performs the action, even though the verb is not fully conjugated like in finite tenses.

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Forms

Using falar as an example:

Person	Form
eu	falar
tu	falares
ele/ela/você	falar
nós	falarmos
vós	falardes
eles/elas/vocês	falarem

👉 Note:

• 1st and 3rd singular are identical to the infinitive

• Only some forms show visible endings

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When to use the personal infinitive

The personal infinitive is used when the subject of the infinitive clause is explicit or different from the main clause, or when clarity is needed.

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1. Different subject from the main clause

• É importante tu estudares.

• Antes de eles chegarem, vamos sair.

👉 The subject is expressed or implied and differs from the main clause.

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2. Explicit subject after a preposition

• Para nós terminarmos isto hoje, temos de trabalhar mais.

• Sem eles saberem, saímos.

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3. To avoid ambiguity

• Depois de falarmos, decidimos.
  👉 makes clear who is speaking

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4. Optional use (same subject)

Sometimes both forms are possible:

• Depois de falar, saí.

• Depois de falar, saímos.

• Depois de falarmos, saímos.

👉 The personal form adds clarity or emphasis

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⚠️ Important notes

• The personal infinitive is unique to Portuguese (does not exist in Spanish or English)

• It is very common in written and formal EP, but also used in speech

• Often appears after:

  • para, antes de, depois de, sem, por

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🔑 Key points

• Infinitive that agrees with the subject

• Used to clarify who performs the action

• Especially common after prepositions

• Optional in some contexts, but often preferred in EP for clarity