Mastering prepositions in Portuguese is essential for fluency, as many verbs require specific prepositions to convey the correct meaning. Today, we will focus on 15 common verbs that require the preposition “a”, which often translates to “to” or “at” in English, depending on the context. Below, we will explore these verbs with explanations and examples.
1. Assistir a (To watch / To attend)
- Eu assisti ao filme ontem. (I watched the movie yesterday.)
- Vamos assistir à palestra juntos? (Shall we attend the lecture together?)
Remember that most of times in real life people use ASSISTIR without A, for example: Eu assisti esse filme.
2. Responder a (To reply to)
- Ele respondeu à pergunta corretamente. (He answered the question correctly.)
- Você já respondeu ao e-mail? (Did you reply to the email yet?)
3. Chegar a (To arrive at/in)
- Eles chegaram à escola cedo. (They arrived at school early.)
- Vamos chegar ao aeroporto às 15h. (We will arrive at the airport at 3 PM.)
In grammar CHEGAR need A but in real life we usually use EM.
4. Ir a (To go to)
- Nós vamos à praia amanhã. (We are going to the beach tomorrow.)
- Eles foram ao hospital visitar um amigo. (They went to the hospital to visit a friend.)
IR usually we use with PARA also, both are correct but PARA is more common and A is more formal.
5. Começar a (To start to)
- O curso começou a ficar interessante. (The course started to become interesting.)
- Ela começou a estudar espanhol. (She started to study Spanish.)
6. Ensinar a (To teach someone to)
- O professor ensinou a turma a escrever bem. (The teacher taught the class to write well.)
- Ele me ensinou a tocar violão. (He taught me how to play the guitar.)
7. Ajudar a (To help to)
- Eles ajudaram a organizar o evento. (They helped to organize the event.)
- Você pode me ajudar a carregar essas malas? (Can you help me carry these bags?)
8. Convidar a (To invite to)
- Fui convidado a participar do evento. (I was invited to participate in the event.)
- Eles convidaram a diretora para a reunião. (They invited the director to the meeting.)
9. Acostumar-se a (To get used to)
- Ele se acostumou à nova rotina. (He got used to the new routine.)
- Estamos nos acostumando ao clima frio. (We are getting used to the cold weather.)
10. Adaptar-se a (To adapt to)
- Ela se adaptou à nova cidade rapidamente. (She adapted to the new city quickly.)
- Eles estão se adaptando ao trabalho remoto. (They are adapting to remote work.)
11. Referir-se a (To refer to)
- O artigo se refere ao problema da economia. (The article refers to the economic problem.)
- A quem você está se referindo? (Who are you referring to?)
12. Obedecer a (To obey)
- As crianças devem obedecer às regras. (Children must obey the rules.)
- Ele nunca obedece ao chefe. (He never obeys the boss.)
Final Tips
Learning verbs with their correct prepositions will make your Portuguese sound more natural. Try to memorize these verb-preposition combinations and use them in sentences to reinforce your understanding.By practicing these 15 verbs with “a”, you will enhance your fluency and confidence in Portuguese. Keep studying, and soon these structures will feel automatic!