Regência: the preposition a verb or noun demands

Regência helps you choose the constructions expected in a careful formal text, where a particular style guide or examination may favour a traditional pattern. It also carries real meaning: implicar and implicar com are two different verbs, and so are proceder, proceder a and proceder de. On top of that, many cases of crase depend on a required preposition a combining with an article or an eligible pronoun, so a shaky grip here quietly breaks the accent rules downstream. Learning the preposition with the word is a small habit that pays off in every formal text you write.

1. The word chooses the preposition, not you

Regência is the principle that a verb, a noun or an adjective selects its own preposition, and that the choice is a property of the word itself rather than something you can reason out from the meaning. English works exactly the same way — you depend on, you are interested in, you listen to — and you learned those one at a time, without ever asking why. Some words allow more than one pattern, depending on meaning and register; the pairs here are examples, not an exhaustive list.

Portuguese asks for the same deal. Store the preposition with the word: gostar de, precisar de, assistir a, obedecer a, concordar com, sonhar com, reclamar de.

There are two families. Regência verbal is about verbs; regência nominal is about nouns and adjectives, which very often inherit the preposition of the verb they come from — depender de gives dependência de, interessar-se por gives interesse por, orgulhar-se de gives orgulho de.

One note before the details: this point used to carry crase as well. Crase now has a point of its own, because the two problems are different. Regência tells you whether the preposition a belongs there; crase then checks whether it combines with the article a/as or an eligible pronoun.

2. The verbs that change meaning with the preposition

Common Pitfalls

• The traditional formal pattern for watching. Assisti o jogo. → Assisti ao jogo. (I watched the game.) The second is the traditional careful-writing model. The first also occurs in Brazilian usage with the watch sense; direct-object assistir does not always mean providing care, and the care sense also allows a.

• The traditional comparison with preferir. ❌ Prefiro trem do que ônibus. → ✅ Prefiro trem a ônibus. (I prefer the train to the bus.) In this formal comparison model, use a and avoid a redundant mais.

• The result sense of implicar. A decisão implica em mudanças. ↔ A decisão implica mudanças. (The decision entails changes.) Both constructions are recorded; the direct-object pattern is a traditional careful-writing choice. Keep com for the other sense: implicar com alguém is to pick on someone.

• Choosing a traditional model with chegar and ir. Cheguei em casa e fui na padaria. → Cheguei a casa e fui à padaria. (I got home and went to the bakery.) The second gives the traditional careful-writing model; the first is common in Brazilian usage. Follow the requirements of the particular text or examination.

• Matching the pronoun to the verb and complement. ❌ Obedeço-o. → ✅ Obedeço-lhe. (I obey him.) or Obedeço a ele. In the traditional obedecer a pattern, lhe is appropriate. This does not apply to every verb with a: watch-assistir and aspire-aspirar do not take lhe.

• Two recorded patterns with procurar. Estou procurando por um apartamento. ↔ Estou procurando um apartamento. (I am looking for a flat.) Both procurar por and direct-object procurar are recorded Portuguese constructions; por is not automatically an error imported from English.