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FROM SPANISH TO PORTUGUESE

The problem, as usual, is not so much learning the forms as it is when to use them. As a Spanish speaker you will have to deal with conflicts that the Portuguese personal infinitive sets up with some of your Spanish subjunctive patterns. In other words, the personal infinitive is very often used in Portuguese where a subjunctive would be normal in Spanish. This is observable when the verb in question follows after:

a. an impersonal expression
b. the verbs 'to tell' and 'to ask'
c. certain Spanish conjunctions (clause relators) which may convert to prepositions in Portuguese.

Let us examine each of these three categories separately.


a) After impersonal expressions

Spanish Portuguese
(subjunctive) (personal infinitive)
1. Es mejor que hagamos eso ahora. É melhor fazermos isso agora.
2. Es difícil que salgamos temprano. É difícil sairmos cedo.
3. Es natural que hablen inglés. É natural falarem inglês.
4. Es posible que yo no venga. É possível eu não vir¹
5. Es preciso que estudien. É preciso (êles) estudarem.
6. Es peor que haga eso. É pior (êle) fazer isso.¹
7. No conviene que paguen ahora. Não é conveniente êles pagarem agora.

¹ Notice there is no ending on these singular forms.


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