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A2 (Elementary)Lesson 9: Basic Clause Patterns & Everyday Usage
Poder (can), querer (to want) and precisar (to need) are only half the set. This point adds ter que (to have to), dever (should, and also "probably") and conseguir (to manage to) â including the split that English hides, where nĂŁo posso (I'm not allowed) and nĂŁo consigo (I can't manage it) are two very different sentences.
ter que + infinitive is everyday obligation: Tenho que sair agora. (I have to leave now.) Ter de means the same but belongs to writing and formal speech.
dever + infinitive = should: VocĂȘ deve falar com o mĂ©dico. (You should talk to the doctor.)
dever also means "probably": Ele deve estar em casa. (He's probably home.) Context tells the two senses apart.
conseguir + infinitive = to manage it, to pull it off: Consegui terminar o trabalho. (I managed to finish the work.)
nĂŁo posso = I'm not allowed / it's not possible. nĂŁo consigo = I can't manage it. NĂŁo posso ir (I'm not allowed to go) is not NĂŁo consigo ir (I can't make it).
conseguir shifts its stem in the eu form: eu consigo (I can), vocĂȘ consegue (you can) â the same change as seguir â sigo.
precisar de + noun, but precisar + infinitive: Preciso de ajuda. (I need help.) / Preciso estudar. (I need to study.)
ter que / ter de + infinitivo (have to) · dever + infinitivo (should; must be) · conseguir + infinitivo (manage to) · poder + infinitivo (be allowed to; be possible) · precisar de + substantivo | precisar + infinitivo
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Without these three you are stuck using poder for everything, and poder is the one that carries permission. Tell a Brazilian friend nĂŁo posso dormir and you have said something closer to "I'm not allowed to sleep"; the sentence you wanted, nĂŁo consigo dormir (I can't get to sleep), is the one everybody actually uses. Obligation has the same problem: ter que turns up in every second sentence about work, plans and family, while dever quietly doubles as the way Brazilians guess â deve ser caro (it must be expensive). Leave these verbs out and your Portuguese stays polite, vague and oddly powerless.
Ter is a verb you already have. Put que and an infinitive after it and you get the ordinary, everyday way of saying "have to":
| Form | Portuguese | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| eu | tenho que sair | I have to leave |
| vocĂȘ / ele, ela | tem que sair | you / he, she has to leave |
| nĂłs | temos que sair | we have to leave |
| vocĂȘs / eles, elas | tĂȘm que sair | they have to leave |
Tenho que acordar Ă s cinco amanhĂŁ. (I have to wake up at five tomorrow.)
| Portuguese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Eu tenho que estudar para a prova de segunda. | I have to study for Monday's test. |
| A gente tem que sair Ă s seis da manhĂŁ. | We have to leave at six in the morning. |
| VocĂȘ nĂŁo tem que pagar agora. | You don't have to pay now. |
| Tive que trocar o pneu no meio da estrada. | I had to change the tire in the middle of the road. |
| VocĂȘ deve beber mais ĂĄgua. | You should drink more water. |
| O restaurante deve estar cheio a essa hora. | The restaurant is probably full at this hour. |
| NĂŁo consigo entender o sotaque dele. | I can't understand his accent. |
| VocĂȘ consegue vir na sexta? | Can you make it on Friday? |
Conjugating the second verb. Eu tenho que trabalho is wrong â it is Eu tenho que trabalhar. (I have to work.) The first verb takes the person; the second one never leaves the infinitive.
Using posso for insomnia. NĂŁo posso dormir says somebody is not letting you sleep. What you mean at three in the morning is NĂŁo consigo dormir. (I can't get to sleep.)
Keeping de before a verb. Preciso de estudar is wrong; it is Preciso estudar. (I need to study.) The de only appears before a noun: Preciso de um lĂĄpis. (I need a pencil.)
Regularizing conseguir. eu consego does not exist. It is eu consigo (I manage, I can), because conseguir changes its stem in the eu form.
Dropping the que. Tenho ir agora is wrong â it is Tenho que ir agora. (I have to go now.) Without que, tenho just means "I have".
Turning "don't have to" into "must not". VocĂȘ nĂŁo tem que vir. (You don't have to come.) releases someone from an obligation. VocĂȘ nĂŁo pode vir. (You're not allowed to come.) is a door being shut. English speakers reach for the second one by mistake.
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