para + Personal Infinitive

Purpose with Personal Infinitive

Level 3

The para + infinitivo pessoal pattern is used to say 'so that [someone else] can do [something].' It is a unique Portuguese feature that allows you to conjugate an infinitive verb to match a specific subject.

How It Works

In Portuguese, when you use the preposition para to express purpose, you have two choices:

1. Same Subject: If the person doing the main action is the same person achieving the goal, use the standard (impersonal) infinitive.
Ex: Eu estudo para aprender. (I study [in order] to learn).

2. Different Subject: If the goal involves a different person, you use the personal infinitive. This is formed by taking the dictionary form of the verb and adding specific endings:

  • Eu: (no ending) - para eu falar
  • Tu: -es - para tu falares
  • Ele/Ela/Você: (no ending) - para ele falar
  • Nós: -mos - para nós falarmos
  • Vós: -des - para vós falardes
  • Eles/Elas/Vocês: -em - para eles falarem

Key Advantage: Unlike the subjunctive, the personal infinitive is always regular. You simply take the infinitive (e.g., ser, ter, ir) and add the endings, even if the verb is usually irregular in other tenses (e.g., para nós sermos, not formos).

Distinction: A helpful rule to become proficient in these forms is that the infinitivo pessoal follows prepositions (like para, sem, ao, depois de), whereas the future subjunctive follows conjunctions (like se or quando).

In European Portuguese, this is the standard way to express purpose. In Brazilian Portuguese, it is common in writing and careful speech to avoid ambiguity.

Examples (4)

  1. Explica-me outra vez, para eu perceber.

    Explain it to me again, so that I understand.

    Word by Word: Explain-me another time, for I to-perceive.

    The subject changes from 'you' (the person explaining) to 'I' (the person perceiving), so the personal infinitive 'perceber' is used with the 'eu' form.

  2. Vou deixar as chaves na porta para eles entrarem.

    I'm going to leave the keys in the door for them to get in.

    Word by Word: I-go to-leave the keys in-the door for them to-enter-they.

    The ending '-em' on 'entrarem' clearly indicates that 'they' are the ones entering.

  3. Para nós chegarmos a tempo, temos de sair já.

    In order for us to arrive on time, we have to leave now.

    Word by Word: For us to-arrive-we at time, we-have of to-leave already.

    The '-mos' ending on 'chegarmos' specifies that 'we' are the ones arriving.

  4. Comprei este livro para tu leres nas férias.

    I bought this book for you to read on vacation.

    Word by Word: I-bought this book for you to-read-you in-the vacations.

    The '-es' ending on 'leres' marks the second person singular (tu) as the subject of the reading.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the personal infinitive when the subject is the same.

    Eu estudo para eu falar português.
    Eu estudo para falar português.

    If the subject doesn't change, don't conjugate the infinitive. Use the simple impersonal form.

  • Adding 'que' before the personal infinitive.

    Fiz isso para que eles falarem.
    Fiz isso para eles falarem.

    The word 'que' triggers the subjunctive mood. You cannot use 'que' with the personal infinitive; it's either 'para + personal infinitive' or 'para que + subjunctive'.

  • Using irregular stems (like the future subjunctive).

    Para nós formos felizes...
    Para nós sermos felizes...

    The personal infinitive always uses the dictionary form as its base. 'Sermos' comes from 'ser'. 'Formos' is the future subjunctive, which is a different tense.

How It Connects

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para + Personal InfinitiveLevel 3Purpose with Personal Infinitive

Learn This First

To use 'para + infinitivo pessoal', you first need to understand the basic function of the preposition 'para' as a marker of purpose. You also need to know how to conjugate the personal infinitive itself and be comfortable with subject pronouns, as this specific construction is triggered when the subject of the purpose clause is different from the main clause.

Words in This Pattern