Verbs of starting, continuing and repeating
When you want to express the flow of an action over time, such as starting it, continuing it, or doing it again, Portuguese uses a specific sentence structure. English speakers often try to translate these ideas literally. For example, you might try to use an English -ing word for continuing an action, or add a word like again at the end of a sentence.
Instead, Portuguese uses a main verb like começar, continuar or voltar, followed by the preposition a and the infinitive form of the action verb. Learning this pattern will make your Portuguese sound much more natural.
In English, we often follow verbs of starting or continuing with an -ing form. In Portuguese, começar and continuar are usually followed by the preposition a and the infinitive of the next verb.
The verb voltar literally means to return. However, when you combine it with a and an infinitive, it takes on a completely different meaning. It indicates that you are doing an action again. This is the most common way to translate English sentences that use the word again.
The phrase passar a combined with an infinitive shows a transition or a change in habit. The expression passar a ser is a great example, meaning to become or to start being. You can use this pattern with other verbs to show that someone has started a new routine.
You might occasionally hear native speakers drop the preposition a and use a gerund instead. This is especially true in Brazilian Portuguese, where a phrase like continuar a estudar is often said as continuar estudando. Both are grammatically correct, but the a plus infinitive structure is universally used in Portugal and is widely understood everywhere.
To describe the beginning, continuation or repetition of an action, link your main verb to the infinitive of the action verb using the preposition a. Remember that voltar a plus an infinitive is the most natural way to say you are doing something again.