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REGÊNCIA VERBAL
Today’s topic is verbal regency. What is that?
Verbal regency refers to the relationship between a verb and its complements. It determines if a verb should be accompanied by a preposition and which preposition should be used.
For example, the verb “gostar” (to like) is always used with the preposition “de.”
– Eu gosto de viajar. (I like to travel.)
Some verbs require the use of a specific preposition, while others can be used with different prepositions or even without a preposition, depending on the context.
There isn’t a simple and fast way to learn verbal regency because there are thousands of verbs in the Portuguese language, and there is no general rule for knowing when to use one preposition or another.
But don’t worry! Although there are thousands of verbs, many of them aren’t used on a daily basis. I recommend that you study this subject little by little. Whenever you use a verb, pay attention to the regency of that verb.
To help you all with this subject, I’m going to do a series of lessons on verbal regency.
And I also prepared a PDF with a list of verbs used with different prepositions.
Type your email below to receive it for free!
Now, get out your pen and paper, and prepare to learn
20 verbs that are accompanied by the preposition DE.
1. Gostar de (To like)
- Eu gosto de música brasileira. (I like Brazilian music.)
- Eles gostam de conversar sobre política. (They like to talk about politics.)
2. Precisar de (To need)
- Ela precisa de ajuda. (She needs help.)
When the verb “precisar” (to need) is followed by another verb, we don’t use the preposition. For example:
- Nós precisamos conversar. (We need to talk.)
3. Lembrar-se de (To remember)
- Lembre-se de ligar para sua mãe. (Remember to call your mother.)
- Ela sempre se lembra do meu aniversário. (She always remembers my birthday.)
4. Esquecer-se de (To forget)
- Não se esqueça de trancar a porta. (Don’t forget to lock the door.)
- Eu sempre me esqueço do nome das pessoas. (I always forget people’s names.)
5. Depender de (To depend on)
- Nossa felicidade não deve depender de outras pessoas. (Our happiness shouldn’t depend on other people.)
- O seu sucesso no português depende da sua dedicação. (Your success in Portuguese depends on your dedication.)
6. Desistir de (To give up on)
- Ele desistiu do projeto. (He gave up on the project.)
- Nunca desista dos seus sonhos. (Never give up on your dreams.)
7. Falar de (To talk about)
- Ele gosta de falar de política. (He likes to talk about politics.)
- Não devemos falar de outras pessoas pelas costas. (We shouldn’t talk about other people behind their backs.)
The verb “falar” (to speak/talk) can also be used with other prepositions.
- Falar sobre algum assunto. (To talk about a subject.)
- Falar com uma pessoa. (To talk with a person.)
8. Brincar de (To play)
- As crianças estão brincando de esconde-esconde. (Children are playing hide and seek.)
- Mariana não gosta de brincar de boneca. (Mariana doesn’t like to play with dolls.)
The verb “brincar” (to play) can also be used with other prepositions:
- Brincar com alguém. (To play with someone.)
- Brincar em algum lugar. (To play somewhere.)
9. Cuidar de (To take care of)
- Maria cuida de seus filhos com muito amor. (Maria takes care of her children with lots of love.)
- Carol cuida dos negócios da família. (Carol takes care of the family business.)
10. Desconfiar de (To suspect)
- Ele desconfia de tudo o que ela diz. (He is suspicious of anything she says.)
- Ele desconfia que ela esteja mentindo. (He suspects that she is lying.)
11. Duvidar de (To doubt)
- Ele duvidou da honestidade do vendedor. (He doubted the honesty of the salesperson.)
- Maria duvida que Pedro cumpra sua promessa. (Maria doubted that Pedro would keep his promise.)
12. Orgulhar-se de (To be proud of )
- Joana se orgulha de seus filhos (Joana is proud of her children.)
- Carlos se orgulha de suas conquistas acadêmicas. (Carlos is proud of his academic achievements.)
13. Participar de (To participate in)
- Vou participar de um evento em setembro. (I’m going to participate in an event in September.)
- Ele participou de uma pesquisa de opinião. (He participated in a research survey.)
14. Rir de (To laugh at)
- Ela riu da piada que ele contou. (She laughed at the joke he told.)
- Não devemos rir de outras pessoas. (We shouldn’t laugh at other people.)
This verb is also commonly used without a preposition. For example:
- O vídeo me fez rir. (The video made me laugh.)
15. Terminar de (To finish)
This verb is used with the preposition “de” only when it’s followed by another verb.
- Ele terminou de fazer o dever de casa. (He finished doing the homework.)
- Ele terminou o dever de casa. (He finished the homework.)
16. Acabar de (To end)
Just like with the verb “terminar” (to finish), this verb is used with the preposition “de” only when it is followed by another verb.
- Ele acabou de chegar.(He just arrived.)
- O filme acabou. (The movie ended.)
17. Aproveitar-se de (To take advantage of)
- Não deixe ninguém se aproveitar de você. (Don’t let anyone take advantage of you.)
- Ele se aproveitou da ingenuidade do amigo. (He took advantage of his friend’s naivety.)
18. Morrer de (To die of)
- O atleta morreu de ataque cardíaco. (The athlete died of a heart attack.)
- Eu estou morrendo de fome. (I’m starving).
19. Ir de (To go by)
- Eu vou de trem para a universidade. (I’m going by train to the university.)
- Pedro vai de carro ao trabalho. (Pedro goes by car to work.)
This verb is also commonly used with the prepositions “a” or “para.”
- Ir para um lugar. (Go to a place.)
- Ir a um lugar. (Go to a place.)
20. Zombar de (To make fun of)
- Crianças costumam zombar de outras crianças. (Children usually make fun of other children.)
- Não devemos zombar de outras pessoas. (We shouldn’t make fun of other people.)
That’s it, everybody! Enter your email below to receive a free PDF with a list of 60 verbs used with prepositions.
