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Verbs of perception with infinitives

When you want to say that you saw, heard, or felt an action happen, Portuguese has a straightforward shortcut. Verbs of perception, such as ver and ouvir, link directly to the infinitive of the action being performed. You do not need to add any joining words or prepositions.

While the basic structure is similar to English, Portuguese has some specific rules about where to put pronouns and how to handle plural subjects when you describe these sensory experiences.

Word list
escutarA1 to listen escutar + infinitive = to listen to someone do olharA1 to look olhar + infinitive = to watch someone do ouvirA1 to hear ouvir + infinitive = to hear someone do sentirA1 to feel sentir + infinitive = to feel something happen verA1 to see ver + infinitive = to see someone do observarA2 to watch observar + infinitive = to observe someone do
How it works

The formula is simple. You use a perception verb, state who or what is doing the action, and then use the infinitive of that action. This works flawlessly for verbs like ver (to see) and ouvir (to hear).

Eu vi o carro bater na parede.
(I saw the car hit the wall.)
Nós ouvimos o bebê chorar a noite toda.
(We heard the baby cry all night.)
Working with pronouns

In English, we say "I heard him sing". In Portuguese, the pronoun (him, her, them) typically attaches to or precedes the perception verb, rather than staying next to the infinitive. The infinitive remains at the end of the phrase.

Eu o escutei cantar no chuveiro.
(I listened to him sing in the shower.)
O professor observou-a sair de casa.
(The teacher observed her leave the house.)
Sensing physical actions

The verb sentir is often used for feeling an emotion, but it also applies to physical sensations. When combined directly with an infinitive, it describes physically feeling an event take place.

Ela sentiu o chão tremer durante o concerto.
(She felt the ground shake during the concert.)
Watch out: plural subjects

Here is a quirk unique to Portuguese. When the person or thing performing the action is plural (like "the children" or "the cars"), you will often see the personal infinitive. This means the infinitive itself takes a plural ending to match the people doing the action.

Eu vi as crianças brincarem no parque.
(I saw the children play in the park.)
Summary

When describing an action you perceive, link your perception verb directly to the infinitive without any prepositions like a or de. Remember to place object pronouns with the first verb, and watch out for the personal infinitive if the doer of the action is plural.