custa-me + Infinitive

Custar Construction

Level 3

The Custar Construction is the standard way to say 'It is hard for me to...' in Portuguese. It uses the verb custar (to cost) in an impersonal way to describe physical or emotional difficulty.

How It Works

The verb custar literally means 'to cost,' but when paired with an indirect object pronoun and an infinitive, it shifts meaning to 'to be difficult.'

1. Sentence Structure:
The standard formula is: [Custa] + [Indirect Object] + (a) + [Infinitive].
Example: Custa-me entender. (It is hard for me to understand).

2. The Optional 'a':
You will often see the preposition a before the infinitive (e.g., Custa-me a crer). While very common in speech and literature, it is technically optional in the impersonal construction.

3. Regional Differences:

  • In European Portuguese, enclisis is the standard: Custa-me.
  • In Brazilian Portuguese, proclisis is preferred in speech: Me custa.

4. Nuance:
This construction can describe physical effort ('It's hard to walk') or emotional pain ('It's hard to say goodbye'). It emphasizes that the task itself is the source of the struggle.

Examples (5)

  1. Custa-me aceitar que as férias acabaram.

    It's hard for me to accept that the holidays are over.

    Word by Word: It costs me to accept that the holidays ended.

    Here, 'custa-me' expresses emotional difficulty. The verb is in the 3rd person singular because the subject is the act of accepting.

  2. Custou-lhe muito a tomar aquela decisão.

    It was very hard for him to make that decision.

    Word by Word: It cost him much to take that decision.

    This uses the pretérito perfeito (custou) to show a specific past difficulty, including the optional preposition 'a'.

  3. Não custa nada tentar.

    It doesn't hurt to try.

    Word by Word: It costs nothing to try.

    A very common idiomatic expression meaning that an action requires no effort or has no negative consequences.

  4. Custa-nos ver os animais a sofrer.

    It's hard for us to see animals suffering.

    Word by Word: It costs us to see the animals to suffer.

    Uses the first-person plural indirect object 'nos'. Note that 'custa' remains singular.

  5. Me custa acreditar que você fez isso.

    I find it hard to believe you did that.

    Word by Word: Me costs to believe that you did that.

    A typical Brazilian construction using proclisis (pronoun before the verb).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the person as the grammatical subject (Personal Construction).

    Eu custo a entender a matemática.
    Custa-me entender a matemática.

    In formal Portuguese, the person is the indirect object (me), not the subject (Eu). While 'Eu custo a...' is common in informal Brazilian speech, it is considered a grammatical error in formal writing.

  • Pluralizing the verb 'custar' when the following objects are plural.

    Custam-me fazer estas tarefas.
    Custa-me fazer estas tarefas.

    The subject is the infinitive verb 'fazer' (to do), which is always singular. Even if the tasks are plural, the verb 'custa' must remain singular.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

custa-me + InfinitiveLevel 3Custar Construction

Learn This First

To understand 'custa-me + infinitivo', a learner needs to know how to conjugate regular -ar verbs in the third person, how to use indirect object pronouns to represent the person affected, and the placement of those pronouns after the verb.

Words in This Pattern

custarme