Common Auxiliary Verbs in Portuguese

Have you ever struggled to determine whether an auxiliary verb should be followed by ‘a’ or not?

For example, many students say Vou a comprar leite, but in Portuguese, the auxiliary verb ir is not followed by a preposition. The correct form is Vou comprar leite.

Typically, auxiliary verbs are conjugated in the Present or Past tense and followed by the main verb in the Infinitive form.* However, there are some variations to this pattern.

Some auxiliary verbs require a or de before the main verb, while others connect directly without any preposition.

Let’s explore some of the most commonly used auxiliary verbs in Portuguese and identify the structures they typically follow.

* Auxiliary verbs like ter, ser, and estar are also used to form compound tenses (perfect tenses) and the passive voice. In these cases, they are followed by the main verb in the Past Participle form rather than the Infinitive. However, these uses are not covered in this article.

Portuguese Frequent Verbs - Portuguesepedia

aux. ^{[present/past]} > a > main ^[infinitive]

Estar a

Estou a ver um filme.
I’m watching a movie.

Nós estamos a almoçar.
We’re having lunch.

Andar a

Ando a fazer um curso de fotografia.
I’m doing a photography course.

Ela anda a baldar-se à escola.
She’s been skipping school.

Começar a

Agora começo a entender.
Now I’m beginning to understand.

Quando começaste a treinar?
When did you start training?

Ficar a

Ela ficou em casa a ver um filme.
She stayed at home to watch a movie.

Eu fiquei a olhar para ela com cara de parvo.
I stared at her with a dumb look on my face.

Continuar a

Nós continuamos a questionar o mesmo.
We keep questioning the same thing.

Continuas a fumar?
Do you still smoke?

Voltar a

Eles voltaram a fazer a mesma asneira.
They messed up again.

Voltas a viajar esta semana?
Are you traveling again this week?

Chegar a

Chegaste a falar com a tua irmã?
Did you get to talk to your sister?

Nunca cheguei a visitar a minha prima.
I never got to visit my cousin.

Vir a

Eu vim a saber que me mentiste.
I came to know that you lied to me.

Ela veio todo o caminho a contar histórias.
She came all the way telling stories.

aux. ^{^{[present/past]}} > de > main ^{^[infinitive]}

Gostar de

Gosto muito de viajar.
I love to travel.

Nós gostávamos de ficar em Portugal.
We’d like to stay in Portugal.

Precisar de

Preciso de falar contigo.
I need to talk to you.

Ela precisa de comer mais proteína.
She needs more protein.

Ter de (≈ Precisar de)

Tenho de falar contigo.
I need to talk to you.

Ela tem de comer mais proteína.
She needs more protein.

Parar de

Para de implicar comigo.
Stop picking on me.

Eu parei de fumar há muitos anos.
I gave up smoking many years ago.

Deixar de (≈ Parar de)

Deixa de implicar comigo.
Stop picking on me.

Eu deixei de fumar há muitos anos.
I gave up smoking many years ago.

Acabar de

Acabei de falar com a Ana.
I’ve just spoken to Ana.

Eles acabaram de sair.
They’ve just left.

Haver de

Hei de ir à Indonésia.
I’m going to Indonesia someday.

Hás de conseguir realizar os teus sonhos.
You will eventually achieve your dreams.

aux. ^{^{[present/past]}} > main ^{^[infinitive]}

Ir

Vou fazer uma viagem a Londres.
I’m going on a trip to London.

Vocês vão dormir cá?
Are you sleeping over?

Poder

Posso fumar aqui?
Can I smoke here?

Eles já podem sair.
They can leave now.

Conseguir

Consegues estar cá por volta das 20h?
Can you be here around 8pm?

Lamento, mas não consigo resolver o problema.
I’m sorry, but I can’t solve the problem.

Saber

Sabes tocar piano?
Can you play the piano?

Ela não sabe andar de bicicleta.
She can’t ride a bike.

Costumar

Ela costuma almoçar em casa dos pais.
She usually eats lunch at her parents’.

Costumam tomar café?
Do you usually drink coffee?

Querer

Queres falar comigo?
Do you want to talk to me?

Quero comer sobremesa.
I want to eat dessert.

Tentar

Tentei telefonar à Maria.
I tried to call Maria.

Tenta estar quieto.
Try to be quiet.

Dever

Eles devem chegar pelas 11h.
They should arrive around 11am.

Às vezes devias estar calado.
Sometimes you should keep quiet.

Adorar

Adoro aprender Português.
I love learning Portuguese.

Eles adoram apanhar sol.
They love to sunbathe.

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