B1 · What follows a verb
The infinitive with a
« Going to » is here just going, with nothing in between.
One group of verbs asks for a before the infinitive, and they have a common core: something gets under way or heads towards a goal. Starting and carrying on — começar a, pôr-se a, continuar a, voltar a, passar a.
Learning and getting used to: aprender a, ensinar a, habituar-se a, ajudar a, obrigar a, convidar a. With the last three the person comes before the a: ajudou-me a mudar de casa.
And then the verb that looks as though it belongs here and does not. English builds its nearest future with « going to », and the « to » is part of it. Portuguese builds the same future with ir and a bare infinitive: vou comprar pão, « I am going to buy bread ».
Putting an a in there does not make it more correct, it makes it wrong: vou a comprar pão is not a sentence anybody says. The rule is worth stating flatly — ir plus a bare infinitive is the future, and nothing goes between the two.
Die Form
| to start | começa a chover |
| to learn | aprende a nadar |
| to get used to | habituei-me a acordar cedo |
| to help | ajudou-me a mudar de casa |
| the future, with no a | vou comprar pão |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
The verbs of starting take a.
Começa a chover.It is starting to rain.
So do those of learning and getting used to.
Habituei-me a acordar cedo.I have got used to waking up early.
ajudar and convidar put the person before the a.
Ajudou-me a mudar de casa.He helped me move house.
ir plus a bare infinitive is the future, not a purpose.
Vou falar com ele amanhã.I will speak to him tomorrow.
Woran man es erkennt
- começar a
- aprender a
- continuar a
- voltar a
- ajudar a
- habituar-se a
- pôr-se a
- obrigar a
Beispielsätze
Aprende a tocar piano há dois anos.She has been learning the piano for two years.
Puseram-se a correr debaixo de chuva.They started running in the rain.
Isso obriga-nos a mudar o plano.That forces us to change the plan.
Convidaram-me a falar na reunião.I was invited to speak at the meeting.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
The « to » inside « going to » is the whole of the trouble, because it feels like a word that has to be translated. It does not: it is part of the English future and nothing more. Vou comprar pão is the sentence. Spanish does put an a there, so anybody carrying both languages will meet this twice.
What starts or is practised takes a — the future does not.
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