Mastering the Unique Portuguese Personal Infin

This structure allows the infinitive to have a subject. In English, we often use a "that" clause. Or we use a gerund like "doing." Portuguese keeps the sentence light with an infinitive. But it adds a small ending for clarity. This avoids confusion when subjects change. It is like adding a name tag to a verb. You know exactly who the verb belongs to. It makes your sentences flow much better. It is much more elegant than heavy clauses. You will see this everywhere in literature. It is also common in daily conversation.

1. 1Creating this tense is actually very simple. It is likely the easiest conjugation in Portuguese. You do not need to learn new stems. You just use the name of the verb. Follow these steps for every single verb:
2. 2Start with the impersonal infinitive (e.g., amar, vender, partir).
3. 3For eu, add no ending. It stays as amar.
4. 4For tu, add the ending -es. It becomes amares.
5. 5For você/ele/ela, add no ending. It stays as amar.
6. 6For nós, add the ending -mos. It becomes amarmos.
7. 7For vós, add the ending -des. It becomes amardes.
8. 8For vocês/eles/elas, add the ending -em. It becomes amarem.
9. 9Yes, even irregular verbs follow this rule. Ir becomes irmos. Ser becomes serem. It is wonderfully consistent. If you use vós, people might think you are a knight. It is very rare in modern speech. Stick to the others for daily life.

You use this when the subject is clear. It is most common after prepositions. Use it with para, por, sem, or ao. Imagine you are ordering food at a restaurant. You might say: Para comermos bem, precisamos de uma mesa. Here, comermos shows "we" are eating. Use it when the subject differs from the main clause. O chefe saiu para os funcionários descansarem. The boss left so the employees could rest. It is perfect for job interviews too. Obrigado por me ouvirem hoje. This shows respect and grammatical precision. Use it after ao to show time. Ao chegares, liga-me. This means "Upon your arrival, call me." It is much shorter than using quando.

Do not use it after modal verbs. These include dever, poder, querer, and conseguir. You should say nós podemos sair. Never say nós podemos sairmos. That sounds like a grammar car crash. Keep the second verb impersonal there. Also, avoid it when the subject is identical. Eu quero comer is better than eu quero eu comer. It feels redundant and clunky. If the subject is general, stay impersonal. É preciso estudar muito. This applies to everyone, so no conjugation is needed. Think of it as a tool for clarity. If the subject is already obvious, keep it simple.

The biggest mistake is confusing it with the future subjunctive. For regular verbs, they look exactly the same. Falar (personal infinitive) looks like falar (future subjunctive). But their jobs are very different. Another mistake is over-conjugating after modal verbs. Remember the "car crash" analogy from earlier. Do not add endings where they do not belong. Some people forget the -em for the plural. They might say para eles falar instead of falarem. This sounds very unpolished at a C2 level. Take your time to add those tiny endings. They make a massive difference in quality.

Let's compare it to the future subjunctive. The personal infinitive follows prepositions like para. The future subjunctive follows conjunctions like se or quando. For irregulars, the difference is very clear. The personal infinitive of ter is termos. The future subjunctive of ter is tivermos. See the difference in the stem? One uses the infinitive name. The other uses a special subjunctive stem. Also, contrast it with the impersonal infinitive. Use impersonal for general truths. Use personal for specific people and actions. It is all about being specific.