Think back to the early days of learning Portuguese… When you started talking about simple likes and dislikes, you probably paused at phrases like Eu gosto de caféI like coffee and wondered what that deof, from, by, about was doing there.
This was your first encounter with regência (regency), a grammatical principle which relates to how words depend on others to complete their meaning.
In practice, it’s about knowing whether a word requires a preposition to link to its complement. The verb gostar needs the preposition de to connect to the thing you like (coffee), while other verbs don’t need a preposition at all. Fazer, for instance, connects directly to its complement: Fiz caféI made coffee .
This is what makes prepositions so tricky to learn. By themselves, they don’t mean much, but their presence or absence within a phrase can have a big impact on the overall meaning.
You’ll see this more clearly in the following examples:
Falar
- falar com = to talk/speak with (someone)
- falar de = to talk about (something)
- Vamos falar de outra coisaLet's talk about something else
Pensar
- pensar em = to think about (something/someone on your mind)
- Estou a pensar em tiI'm thinking about you
- pensar de = to think of (have an opinion about)
- O que pensas desta ideia?What do you think of this idea?
Estar
- estar a = to be [doing] (present continuous in European Portuguese)
- estar com = to be with (someone) / to have (temporary condition)
- Estou com doresI am in pain
- estar em = to be in/at (location)
Concordar
- concordar com = to agree with (someone/something)
- concordar em = to agree to (do something)
- Concordei em ajudá-loI agreed to help him
Triste
- triste com = sad about (a situation or thing)
- Fiquei triste com a notíciaI was saddened by the news
- triste por = sad about (an event or action)
- Ele ficou triste por não teres aparecidoHe was sad that you didn't show up
Interesse
- interesse em = interest in (general interest or involvement)
- Tenho interesse em aprender novas línguasI have an interest in learning new languages
- interesse por = interest in (attraction or curiosity toward)
- O meu interesse por história cresceuMy interest in history grew
Razão
- razão de = reason for (cause or explanation)
- Qual é a razão desta reunião?What's the reason for this meeting?
- razão para = reason to (purpose or justification for action)
- Não há razão para te preocuparesThere's no reason for you(sing.,inf.) to worry
Esperar
- esperar (without a preposition) = to hope
- Espero estar pronto a tempoI hope to be ready in time
- esperar por = to wait (for something/someone)
- Eu espero por tiI wait for you
Ir
- ir (without a preposition) = to go
- ir de = to go by/via
- Eu vou de carroI'll go by car
- ir para = to go to (a destination to stay)
- Vou para casaI'm going home
- ir a = to go to (briefly)
- Vou a EspanhaI'm going to Spain
- Note: “ir a” can also appear before an infinitive verb to describe the manner in which someone is going (somewhere). This is a special construction that is used in a gerund-like way. Examples:
- Ele foi a correrHe went running
- A Maria vai a correrMaria is running
🤝 Common Preposition Pairings
To help you continue recognizing these types of relationships, below we’ve put together a guide of common pairings for each preposition.
The goal isn’t to memorize them, but to notice the patterns and develop a feel for what sounds natural. This will get easier with more exposure to the language, as you’ll hear the same words together in different contexts.
We’ve already discussed the relationship between prepositions and adverbs in this Learning Note, so now we’ll focus on verbs, adjectives, and nouns.
By the way, next time you’re wondering “Which preposition do I use?”, this Learning Note is also a really helpful resource!
Preposition A
Verbs
- aconselhar a (to advise to)
- apelar a (to appeal to)
- estar a (to be [doing])
- ajudar a (to help to)
- responder a (to answer to/respond to)
- ir a (to go to)
- obedecer a (to obey)
- começar a (to begin to)
- aprender a (to learn to)
Adjectives
- fiel a (faithful to)
- habituado a (used to)
- sujeito a (subject to)
- acostumado a (accustomed to)
- ligado a (connected to)
- igual a (equal to, same as)
Nouns
- acesso a (access to)
- reação a (reaction to)
- resistência a (resistance to)
- resposta a (response to)
- recurso a (recourse to)
- adesão a (adherence to)
- oposição a (opposition to)
- atenção a (attention to)
Preposition DE
Verbs
- gostar de (to like)
- lembrar-se de (to remember)
- depender de (to depend on)
- ter de (to have to)
- tratar de (to deal with/take care of)
- falar de (to talk about)
- desistir de (to give up on)
- sair de (to leave from)
- duvidar de (to doubt)
- precisar de (to need)
Adjectives
- fácil de (easy to)
- difícil de (difficult to)
- impossível de (impossible to)
- isento de (exempt from)
- orgulhoso de (proud of)
- capaz de (capable of)
- cheio de (full of)
- farto de (fed up with)
- cansado de (tired of)
Nouns
- vontade de (desire to/for)
- medo de (fear of)
- necessidade de (need for)
- falta de (lack of)
- certeza de (certainty of)
- dúvida de (doubt about)
- orgulho de (pride in)
- culpa de (guilt for/blame for)
- capacidade de (capacity to)
- razão de (reason for)
- prazer de (pleasure of)
- pena de (pity for)
- intenção de (intention to)
Preposition EM
Verbs
- pensar em (to think about)
- confiar em (to trust)
- participar em (to participate in)
- insistir em (to insist on)
- acreditar em (to believe in)
- votar em (to vote for)
- concordar em (to agree to)
- ficar em (to stay in/at)
- estar em to be in/at (location)
Adjectives
- interessado em (interested in)
- experiente em (experienced in)
- envolvido em (involved in)
Nouns
- confiança em (confidence in)
- interesse em (interest in)
- experiência em (experience in)
- dificuldade em (difficulty in)
- falha em (failure in)
Preposition POR
Verbs
- esperar por (to wait for)
- rezar por (to pray for)
- lutar por (to fight for)
- passar por (to pass through/by)
- ir por (to go via/through)
Adjectives
- feliz por (happy about)
- contente por (content about)
- triste por (sad about)
- obcecado por (obsessed with)
- fascinado por (fascinated by)
- ansioso por (eager for/anxious about)
- grato por (grateful for)
Nouns
- paixão por (passion for)
- amor por (love for)
- admiração por (admiration for)
- interesse por (interest in)
- preferência por (preference for)
- respeito por (respect for)
- gosto por (taste for/liking for)
- luta por (struggle for)
Preposition PARA
Verbs
- olhar para (to look at)
- cozinhar para (to cook for)
- ir para (to go to)
- voltar para (to return to)
- olhar para (to look at)
- apontar para (to point at)
- servir para (to be useful for)
- correr para (to run towards)
Adjectives
- preparado para (prepared for)
- pronto para (ready for)
- bom para (good for)
- mau para (bad for)
- útil para (useful for)
- importante para (important for)
- suficiente para (sufficient for)
- ótimo para (excellent for)
Nouns
- razão para (reason to)
- motivo para (motive for)
- oportunidade para (opportunity to)
- plano para (plan for)
- convite para (invitation to)
- autorização para (authorization for)
- tempo para (time to/for)
Preposition COM
Verbs
- concordar com (to agree with)
- estar com (to be with/to have [temporary state])
- falar com (to talk with/to)
- conversar com (to converse with)
- partilhar com (to share with)
Adjectives
- incomodado com (bothered by)
- triste com (sad about)
- chateado com (upset with)
- feliz com (happy with)
- satisfeito com (satisfied with)
Nouns
- cuidado com (care with/watch out for)
- problema com (problem with)
- relação com (relationship with)
- encontro com (meeting with)
- acordo com (agreement with)
- ligação com (connection with)