estar prestes a + Infinitive

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Level 5

The structure estar prestes a + infinitivo is used to describe the 'proximal future'—actions that are on the verge of occurring right now or in the very near future.

How It Works

This pattern is a formal to neutral way to express that something is just seconds or minutes away from starting.

1. Structure and Morphology:
The formula is: [Conjugated estar] + prestes a + [Infinitive Verb].
Crucially, the word prestes is an invariable adjective. This means it does not change for gender or number. Whether you are talking about one person or many, it remains prestes.

2. Usage and Register:
While common in both Brazil and Portugal, it is particularly frequent in European Portuguese and in formal written contexts. In casual Brazilian speech, you might hear ir + infinitive or the synonym estar a ponto de instead.

3. Past Imminence:
You can use this in the past tense (usually with the imperfeito) to describe a moment when something was about to happen: Eu estava prestes a sair quando o telefone tocou (I was about to leave when the phone rang).

Examples (5)

  1. O avião está prestes a descolar.

    The plane is about to take off.

    Word by Word: The plane is ready to take-off.

    Uses the present tense of 'estar' to show immediate imminence.

  2. Nós estamos prestes a descobrir a verdade.

    We are about to discover the truth.

    Word by Word: We are ready to discover the truth.

    Note that 'prestes' does not change to a plural form even though the subject 'nós' is plural.

  3. Eu sentia que algo terrível estava prestes a acontecer.

    I felt that something terrible was about to happen.

    Word by Word: I felt that something terrible was ready to happen.

    Here, 'estar' is in the imperfect past to show imminence relative to a past moment.

  4. As flores estão prestes a abrir.

    The flowers are about to bloom.

    Word by Word: The flowers are ready to open.

    Used for natural processes that have reached a tipping point.

  5. Estou prestes a dizer-te o que aconteceu.

    I am about to tell you what happened.

    Word by Word: I-am ready to tell-you the what happened.

    In European Portuguese, pronouns usually follow the infinitive in this construction.

Common Mistakes

  • Attempting to change the invariable form 'prestes' to match the subject.

    Eles estão presteses a sair.
    Eles estão prestes a sair.

    'Prestes' is an invariable adjective. It does not change for gender or number, so forms like 'preste' or 'presteses' are incorrect.

  • Using the wrong preposition (using 'de' instead of 'a').

    Estou prestes de terminar.
    Estou prestes a terminar.

    In modern standard Portuguese, the fixed preposition for this expression is 'a'.

Words in This Pattern

prestes aprestes