The Personal Infinitive in Portuguese: Fazer, Fazermos, and More — Practice

Use a personal infinitive when the subject needs to be clear

Portuguese has an infinitive form that can show who performs the action. For fazer, the forms include fazer (I/you/he/she), fazermos (we), and fazerem (they/you all). The third-person singular form does not add an ending, so context or an explicit pronoun identifies the subject.

This form often appears after a preposition or conjunction when a different subject needs to be named: para nós fazermos a reserva (for us to make the reservation). The personal infinitive can make a sentence clearer without adding a new finite verb clause.

Keep a simple infinitive when the subject is already understood

When the subject is the same as the main verb or is already obvious, an uninflected infinitive is often enough: quero descansar (I want to rest), antes de sair (before leaving). Use the personal ending when naming the subject helps avoid confusion or emphasizes who is doing the action.

For a regular -ar verb, the plural endings are -mos for nós and -em for vocês/eles/elas: estudar, estudarmos, estudarem. There are irregular forms too, so begin with frequent verbs and complete phrases rather than trying to memorize every ending at once.

Remember: Use a personal infinitive such as fazermos or fazerem when it clarifies the infinitive’s subject. Use a plain infinitive when the subject is already understood.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. It’s better for you all to arrive before eight.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   É melhor vocês chegarem antes das oito.

2. The teacher explained the rule so we would understand the exercise.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A professora explicou a regra para nós entendermos o exercício.

3. Before they leave, let’s take a photo.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Antes de eles saírem, vamos tirar uma foto.

4. I’ll wait for you all to finish the conversation.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vou esperar vocês terminarem a conversa.

5. She left without letting us know.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Ela saiu sem nos avisar.

6. We need to talk before we make a decision.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Precisamos conversar antes de tomarmos uma decisão.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Use a personal infinitive such as fazermos or fazerem when it clarifies the infinitive’s subject. Use a plain infinitive when the subject is already understood.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our The Personal Infinitive in Portuguese: Fazer, Fazermos, and More lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.