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Verbs followed by 'de'

When you want to say "I like coffee" in Portuguese, you might be tempted to translate it word-for-word. However, if you say Eu gosto café, a Portuguese speaker will feel that something is missing. Certain very common Portuguese verbs cannot connect directly to the noun that follows them. They require a bridge: the preposition de.

For English speakers, adding de often feels like inserting an unnecessary "of" (like saying "I like of coffee" or "I need of time"). With other verbs, it feels like using the wrong preposition entirely. Learning which verbs demand de is an essential step in sounding natural.

Word list
gostarA1 to like gostar de = like lembrar-seA1 to remember lembrar-se de = remember precisarA1 to need precisar de = need descerA2 to get off descer de = get off descerA2 to get out descer de = get out of esquecer-seA2 to leave esquecer-se de = leave behind esquecer-seA2 to forget esquecer-se de = forget estar com medoA2 to fear estar com medo de = be afraid of rirA2 to laugh rir de = laugh at sairA2 to get off sair de = get off sairA2 to get out sair de = get out of ter medoA2 to fear ter medo de = be afraid of afastar-seB1 to move away afastar-se de = move away from aproximar-seB1 to approach aproximar-se de = approach certificar-seB1 to make sure certificar-se de = make sure cuidarB1 to take care of cuidar de = take care of cuidarB1 to deal with cuidar de = deal with deixarB1 to stop deixar de = quit dependerB1 to depend depender de = depend on desembarcarB1 to get off desembarcar de = get off desfrutarB1 to enjoy desfrutar de = enjoy desistirB1 to give up desistir de = give up on despedir-seB1 to say goodbye despedir-se de = say goodbye to discordarB1 to disagree discordar de = disagree with duvidarB1 to doubt duvidar de = doubt envergonhar-seB1 to be ashamed envergonhar-se de = be ashamed of esconder-seB1 to hide esconder-se de = hide from estar à procuraB1 to search estar à procura de = look for estar com vergonhaB1 to be ashamed estar com vergonha de = be ashamed of estar envergonhadomB1 to be ashamed estar envergonhado de = be ashamed of gostarB1 to enjoy gostar de = enjoy necessitarB1 to need necessitar de = need pararB1 to stop parar de = stop participarB1 to attend participar da reunião = attend the meeting (em also common) queixar-seB1 to complain queixar-se de = complain about reclamarB1 to complain reclamar de = complain about recordar-seB1 to remember recordar-se de = remember sentir faltaB1 to miss sentir falta de = miss sentir saudadesB1 to miss sentir saudades de = miss sentir vergonhaB1 to be ashamed sentir vergonha de = be ashamed of sofrerB1 to suffer sofrer de = suffer from ter gostoB1 to taste ter gosto de = taste like ter saborB1 to taste ter sabor de = taste like ter saudadesB1 to miss ter saudades de = miss ter vergonhaB1 to be ashamed ter vergonha de = be ashamed of tirar sarroB1 to make fun of tirar sarro de = make fun of tratarB1 to deal with tratar de = deal with zombarB1 to make fun of zombar de = make fun of arrepender-seB2 to regret arrepender-se de = regret assegurar-seB2 to make sure assegurar-se de = make sure carecerB2 to lack carecer de = lack descuidarB2 to neglect descuidar de = neglect desistirB2 to give up desistir de = give up on distanciar-seB2 to move away distanciar-se de = distance oneself from divorciar-seB2 to divorce divorciar-se de = divorce encarregar-seB2 to deal with encarregar-se de = take care of fugirB2 to flee fugir de = run away from livrar-se deB2 to get rid of livrar-se de = get rid of mudar-seB2 to move out mudar-se de = move out of ocultar-seB2 to hide ocultar-se de = hide from ocupar-seB2 to deal with ocupar-se de = deal with participarB2 to participate participar de = take part in sairB2 to drop out sair de = drop out sentir-se envergonhadomB2 to be ashamed sentir-se envergonhado de = feel ashamed of ser composto demB2 to consist of ser composto de = consist of suspeitarB2 to suspect suspeitar de = suspect ter a intençãoB2 to intend ter a intenção de = intend to troçarB2 to make fun of troçar de = make fun of descurarC1 to neglect descurar de = neglect
Adding the missing link

The most famous examples of this rule are gostar (to like) and precisar (to need). In English, you like something and you need something. In Portuguese, you must always include de before the object.

Ela gosta de música pop.
(She likes pop music.)
Nós precisamos de mais tempo.
(We need more time.)

Remember that de must contract with definite articles. If you need "the car" (o carro), de and o merge into do.

Eu preciso do carro hoje.
(I need the car today.)

Other verbs that behave this way include duvidar (to doubt), suspeitar (to suspect), and carecer (to lack).

Eles duvidam da tua história.
(They doubt your story.)
O filme carece de emoção.
(The film lacks emotion.)
When the preposition changes

Sometimes, English does use a preposition after the verb, but Portuguese requires de instead of the one you might expect. For example, in English you depend "on" something, disagree "with" someone, and laugh "at" a joke. In Portuguese, all of these take de.

O sucesso depende de ti.
(Success depends on you.)
Eu discordo do professor.
(I disagree with the teacher.)
Não rias de mim!
(Don't laugh at me!)

Similarly, when you give up "on" something, you use desistir de, and when you suffer "from" an illness, you use sofrer de.

Expressions for missing someone

English uses the direct verb "to miss". Portuguese expresses this feeling using a phrase that translates literally to "to feel the lack of" or "to have yearnings of". Therefore, expressions like sentir falta and ter saudades always require de.

Eu sinto falta de casa.
(I miss home.)
Ela tem saudades dos amigos.
(She misses her friends.)
Watch out

A common mistake is assuming de is needed before every type of word. While precisar requires de before a noun (like "help" or "time"), the rule changes when it is followed by another verb (an infinitive). When you "need to do" something, you can usually drop the de, especially in Brazilian Portuguese.

Eu preciso dormir agora.
(I need to sleep now.)

Additionally, some verbs like desfrutar (to enjoy) and tratar (to handle/deal with) can occasionally be used without de depending on the context or dialect, but pairing them with de is always safe and highly natural.

Summary

Many common Portuguese verbs like gostar, precisar, and depender require the preposition de before a noun object. Always remember to contract de with any definite articles (do, da, dos, das) that follow it!