B1 · What follows a verb
When the verb carries the adverb
« Again » and « these days » are not words here — they are verbs.
English puts these meanings in small separate words: « again », « from now on », « still », « these days ». Each of them is a word you can point at, and each can be moved around the sentence. Portuguese puts several of them inside the verb, where there is nothing left to point at.
Voltar a means to do it again: voltou a chover is « it is raining again », and no word in that sentence means « again ». Passar a means to do it from now on: passou a trabalhar de casa. Continuar a means to go on doing it.
Andar a is the hardest of the four, because it looks like a verb of motion and is not one. It says that something has been happening on and off over a stretch of time: ando a estudar português is « I am learning Portuguese at the moment », nothing to do with walking or going.
Two more take a different joint: estar prestes a means to be on the point of, and ficar a means to stay doing something. The ones built with de — acabar de and deixar de — belong to the group further down.
Die Form
| again | voltou a chover |
| from now on | passou a trabalhar de casa |
| still, on and on | continua a chover |
| these days, on and off | ando a estudar português |
| on the point of | está prestes a sair |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
voltar a means to do it again.
Voltámos a falar depois de um ano.We spoke again after a year.
passar a means to do it from now on.
Passei a levar o almoço de casa.I take my lunch from home now.
andar a means over a stretch of time, not to go.
Ando a estudar português há dois anos.I have been learning Portuguese for two years.
estar prestes a means to be on the point of.
O comboio está prestes a partir.The train is about to leave.
Woran man es erkennt
- voltar a
- passar a
- continuar a
- andar a
- estar prestes a
- ficar a
Beispielsätze
Voltou a chover à tarde.It rained again in the afternoon.
Ando a ler um livro sobre o Algarve.I am reading a book about the Algarve at the moment.
Continuas a fazer o mesmo erro.You keep making the same mistake.
Ficámos a conversar até tarde.We stayed talking until late.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
Reading andar as « to go » is the commonest misreading in the chapter, and it produces a sentence that makes sense — which is why nobody catches it. Ando a trabalhar num projeto is « I am working on a project these days », not « I go to work on a project ». Next to it, estou a trabalhar is this very minute.
voltar a is again, andar a is these days.
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