B2Lesson 9: Advanced Verb and Clause Patterns
Portuguese can inflect the infinitive for person and number. This personal infinitive is especially useful when the infinitive clause has its own subject.
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Portuguese can inflect the infinitive for person and number. This personal infinitive is especially useful when the infinitive clause has its own subject.
The personal infinitive is one of the structures that makes Portuguese feel structurally distinct. It is highly useful in careful writing and in many natural spoken patterns as well.
| Step | Rule |
|---|---|
| Rule 1 | Use the personal infinitive when the infinitive clause has an explicit subject or when you want to mark a subject clearly: "para eu entender", "antes de sairmos". |
| Rule 2 | It commonly appears after prepositions and in reduced clauses. |
| Rule 3 | The personal infinitive is not required in every context, but it is a powerful and very Portuguese structure. |
| Rule 4 | The form helps separate the subject of the infinitive clause from the subject of the main clause. |
