Grammar and words through input

Portuguese grammar and vocabulary met through real sentences: a gente, gerund or a + infinitive, personal infinitive, pronoun placement and false friends.

Start with the question that fits your current goal. Examples describe common patterns, but a speaker's region and situation can change the form you hear.

Guides in this topic

• A gente and nós: two ways to say we — Both a gente and nós can mean we. A gente normally takes a singular verb, while nós takes a first-person plural verb.
• Portuguese gerund and a + infinitive — Portuguese can describe an action in progress with estar plus a gerund or with estar a plus an infinitive. The first is common in Brazil; the second is common in Portugal, with regional variation.
• The Portuguese personal infinitive in context — The personal infinitive is an infinitive that can have endings indicating its subject. Learn it in a complete sentence, because the choice between forms depends on the construction.