Verbos aspectuais + preposição + infinitivo
Verbos aspectuais + preposição + infinitivo means “phase/aspectual verbs that take a fixed preposition (a/de/por) or none before an infinitive”. Aspectual verbs mark the phase of an action, and each one requires its own preposition before the infinitive. Formation: V-aspectual (+ a / de / por / Ø) + infinitivo
phase/aspectual verbs that take a fixed preposition (a/de/por) or none before an infinitive
B1Formation
V-aspectual (+ a / de / por / Ø) + infinitivo
Explanation
Aspectual verbs mark the phase of an action, and each one requires its own preposition before the infinitive. With A: começar a (start to), passar a, voltar a (do again: 'volto a ligar' = I'll call again), pôr-se a, aprender a, ensinar (someone) a, ajudar a, chegar a. With DE: acabar de (to have just done: 'Acabei de chegar' = I just arrived), parar de (stop doing), deixar de (stop/give up: 'Deixei de fumar' = I quit smoking), cansar de. With POR: começar por, acabar por (end up doing: 'Acabei por aceitar' = I ended up accepting). No preposition: querer, poder, dever, precisar (which drops its 'de' before an infinitive), conseguir, costumar, saber, resolver, pretender. Note the pair acabar DE (recent past) vs acabar POR (final outcome): they mean different things. Since there is no fixed rule, memorize each verb together with its preposition. Spanish is almost identical (empezar a, volver a, acabar de, dejar de), and 'acabar de + inf' = 'to have just' is the same in both languages.
Examples
Note
Key contrasts: 'acabar DE + inf' = recent past (Acabei de comer = I just ate); 'acabar POR + inf' = final outcome (Acabei por concordar = I ended up agreeing). And 'voltar A + inf' = to do again (volto a ligar = I'll call again), while 'deixar DE + inf' = to stop doing (deixei de fumar = I quit smoking). Don't confuse 'deixar de' (stop) with plain 'deixar' (to let/allow).
FAQ
Verbos aspectuais + preposição + infinitivo — what does it mean and how is it used?
phase/aspectual verbs that take a fixed preposition (a/de/por) or none before an infinitive. Aspectual verbs mark the phase of an action, and each one requires its own preposition before the infinitive. With A: começar a (start to), passar a, voltar a (do again: 'volto a ligar' = I'll call again), pôr-se a, aprender a, ensinar (someone) a, ajudar a, chegar a. With DE: acabar de (to have just done: 'Acabei de chegar' = I just arrived), parar de (stop doing), deixar de (stop/give up: 'Deixei de fumar' = I quit smoking), cansar de. With POR: começar por, acabar por (end up doing: 'Acabei por aceitar' = I ended up accepting). No preposition: querer, poder, dever, precisar (which drops its 'de' before an infinitive), conseguir, costumar, saber, resolver, pretender. Note the pair acabar DE (recent past) vs acabar POR (final outcome): they mean different things. Since there is no fixed rule, memorize each verb together with its preposition. Spanish is almost identical (empezar a, volver a, acabar de, dejar de), and 'acabar de + inf' = 'to have just' is the same in both languages.
Verbos aspectuais + preposição + infinitivo — how do you form it?
V-aspectual (+ a / de / por / Ø) + infinitivo
Verbos aspectuais + preposição + infinitivo — any usage notes?
Key contrasts: 'acabar DE + inf' = recent past (Acabei de comer = I just ate); 'acabar POR + inf' = final outcome (Acabei por concordar = I ended up agreeing). And 'voltar A + inf' = to do again (volto a ligar = I'll call again), while 'deixar DE + inf' = to stop doing (deixei de fumar = I quit smoking). Don't confuse 'deixar de' (stop) with plain 'deixar' (to let/allow).