Infinitivo Pessoal

The infinitivo pessoal (personal infinitive) is a uniquely Portuguese feature, allowing infinitives to be conjugated for different subjects. Formed by adding -es (tu), -mos (nós), and -em (eles/vocês) to the infinitive, it clarifies who performs an action: "É importante falarmos" (It's important for us to speak). This construction replaces subjunctive clauses in many contexts, making sentences more concise: "Antes de eles saírem" instead of "Antes que eles saiam" (Before they leave). The personal infinitive appears after prepositions, certain expressions, and when the subjects of main and dependent clauses differ. Mastering this uniquely Portuguese structure marks an advanced level of fluency.