falar/falares/falar/falarmos/falardes/falarem

Infinitivo Pessoal (Flexionado)

Level 4

The Infinitivo Pessoal (Personal Infinitive) is a special form of the infinitive that conjugates like a regular verb. It is used to specify the subject of an action without needing a full clause with 'que'.

How It Works

The Personal Infinitive is one of the most distinctive features of Portuguese. It allows for concise sentences while maintaining clarity about who is doing what.

1. Formation:
It is perfectly regular for all verbs. You take the dictionary form (impersonal infinitive) and add these endings:

  • Eu: (no ending) - falar
  • Tu: -es - falares
  • Ele/Ela/Você: (no ending) - falar
  • Nós: -mos - falarmos
  • Vós: -des - falardes
  • Eles/Elas/Vocês: -em - falarem

Note: The verb pôr and its derivatives (like compor) lose the circumflex accent in the personal infinitive (e.g., pormos, porem).

2. When to use it:

  • Different Subjects: When the subject of the infinitive is different from the main verb. Ex: É melhor vocês saírem agora. (It's better for you to leave now.)
  • After Prepositions: Very common after para, sem, ao, and depois de.
  • Emphasis/Clarity: It can be used even with the same subject to avoid ambiguity or to emphasize the agent.

3. Important Restrictions:

  • The "Que" Rule: The Personal Infinitive and the conjunction que are mutually exclusive. If you use que, you must use a conjugated tense like the Subjunctive. Ex: É importante vocês saírem (Personal Infinitive) vs. É importante que vocês saiam (Subjunctive).
  • Modal Verbs: Never use the Personal Infinitive after modal verbs (poder, dever, querer, conseguir) or verbs of perception/causation. The impersonal infinitive is mandatory here. Ex: Nós podemos sair (Correct) vs. Nós podemos sairmos (Incorrect).

4. Personal Infinitive vs. Future Subjunctive:
For regular verbs, these forms look identical. However, for irregular verbs, the Personal Infinitive uses the infinitive stem (termos, fazermos), while the Future Subjunctive uses the preterite stem (tivermos, fizermos).

Examples (4)

  1. É importante estudarmos todos os dias.

    It is important for us to study every day.

    Word by Word: Is important study-we all the days.

    The ending '-mos' clarifies that 'we' are the ones who need to study.

  2. Comprei comida para eles comerem.

    I bought food for them to eat.

    Word by Word: I-bought food for them eat-they.

    The personal infinitive 'comerem' is used because the subject of the second action (them) is different from the first (I).

  3. Saímos sem tu perceberes.

    We left without you noticing.

    Word by Word: We-left without you notice-you.

    After the preposition 'sem', the personal infinitive 'perceberes' identifies 'tu' as the subject.

  4. Ao chegarem a casa, eles ligaram a TV.

    Upon arriving home, they turned on the TV.

    Word by Word: Upon arrive-they at home, they turned-on the TV.

    The construction 'ao + personal infinitive' indicates an action happening at the same time as the main verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the personal infinitive when the subject is the same as the main verb.

    Eu quero comermos agora.
    Eu quero comer agora.

    If the subject is the same (I want, I eat), use the plain impersonal infinitive. Only use the personal form if you need to clarify a different subject.

  • Using the preterite stem for irregular verbs (confusing it with the Future Subjunctive).

    Para eles fizerem o trabalho...
    Para eles fazerem o trabalho...

    The Personal Infinitive always uses the dictionary form as its base (fazer + em), even for irregular verbs. 'Fizerem' is the Future Subjunctive form.

How It Connects

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

falar/falares/falar/falarmos/falardes/falaremLevel 4Infinitivo Pessoal (Flexionado)

Learn This First

To learn the Personal Infinitive, you first need to understand how Portuguese verbs change their endings to match different subjects (like 'we' or 'they'). You also need to be comfortable with basic prepositions, as this verb form is most commonly used after words like 'para', 'sem', or 'ao' to clarify who is doing the action without needing a full conjugated clause.