Many Portuguese verbs demand a specific preposition before their object — and there is usually no way to predict which one from the meaning. Gostar takes de, assistir takes a, pensar takes em, contar takes com. This is verb government (regência verbal), and for English speakers it is one of the most persistent sources of error, because the matching English verbs frequently take no preposition at all: we say "I like pizza," not "I like of pizza." This page groups the high-frequency verbs by their preposition so you can drill them in clusters.
The big one: gostar de
English "to like" takes a direct object. Portuguese gostar is intransitive and routes its object through de. Every time. When de meets a definite article, it contracts (de + o = do, de + a = da).
Eu gosto muito de música brasileira.
I really like Brazilian music.
Você gosta de café ou prefere chá?
Do you like coffee or do you prefer tea?
As crianças não gostam do novo professor.
The kids don't like the new teacher.
Verbs that take DE
This is the largest group and the one where English interference is worst, since most of the English equivalents have no preposition.
| Verb | Meaning | English preposition? |
|---|---|---|
| gostar de | to like | none ("like X") |
| lembrar(-se) de | to remember | none ("remember X") |
| esquecer(-se) de | to forget | none ("forget X") |
| depender de | to depend on | "on" |
| precisar de | to need | none ("need X") |
| falar de | to talk about | "about" |
| duvidar de | to doubt | none ("doubt X") |
| queixar-se de | to complain about | "about" |
| desistir de | to give up (on) | "on/up" |
| parar de | to stop (doing) | "-ing" ("stop doing") |
| deixar de | to stop / quit (doing) | none |
| acabar de | to have just (done) | none ("just did") |
Tudo depende do tempo amanhã.
Everything depends on the weather tomorrow.
Preciso de uma carona até o centro.
I need a ride downtown.
Ele parou de fumar há dois anos.
He stopped smoking two years ago.
Acabei de chegar do trabalho.
I just got home from work.
Note the two acabar patterns, which English speakers confuse: acabar de + infinitive = "to have just done"; acabar com = "to put an end to / use up."
Verbs that take A
The verb assistir is the headline trap here. Assistir a means "to watch" or "to attend" — not "to assist" (see the false friends page). The a is the bookish, prescriptively-correct preposition; in casual Brazilian speech, assistir is very often used transitively (assistir o jogo), but the standard form keeps the a (assistir ao jogo).
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| assistir a | to watch, to attend |
| responder a | to answer / reply to |
| obedecer a | to obey |
| perguntar a (alguém) | to ask (someone) |
| dirigir-se a | to address / head toward |
| dedicar-se a | to devote oneself to |
Ontem eu assisti ao jogo no estádio. (standard) / assisti o jogo (informal BR)
Yesterday I watched the game at the stadium.
Você já respondeu ao e-mail do chefe?
Have you replied to the boss's email yet?
Ela se dedica aos estudos o dia inteiro.
She devotes herself to her studies all day long.
Verbs that take EM
These map roughly to English "in/on/about," but the fit is loose — pensar em is "to think about," not "think in."
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pensar em | to think about |
| acreditar em | to believe in |
| confiar em | to trust |
| insistir em | to insist on |
| mexer em | to mess with / touch |
| entrar em | to enter / go into |
Estou pensando em mudar de emprego.
I'm thinking about changing jobs.
Não mexe nas minhas coisas, por favor.
Don't touch my stuff, please.
Eu confio totalmente em você.
I trust you completely.
Verbs that take COM
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| contar com | to count on / rely on |
| casar(-se) com | to marry |
| preocupar(-se) com | to worry about |
| sonhar com | to dream about/of |
Pode contar comigo para o que precisar.
You can count on me for whatever you need.
Não se preocupe com isso, eu resolvo.
Don't worry about that, I'll handle it.
Verbs that take POR
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| lutar por | to fight for |
| optar por | to opt for / choose |
| esperar por | to wait for |
| interessar(-se) por | to be interested in |
Eles lutaram por melhores condições de trabalho.
They fought for better working conditions.
Ela sempre se interessou por história antiga.
She has always been interested in ancient history.
Note: esperar without por means "to expect" or "to hope" (espero que você venha = "I hope you come"); esperar por foregrounds the "waiting for" sense, though plain esperar alguém ("to wait for someone") is also fine.
Verbs that take PARA
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| olhar para | to look at |
| mostrar para (or a) | to show (to someone) |
| ligar para | to call (phone) / to care about |
Olha para mim quando eu falo com você.
Look at me when I'm talking to you.
Mostra para a sua mãe o desenho que você fez.
Show your mom the drawing you made.
Ligar para is doubly useful: ligar para alguém = "to phone someone," but não ligar para algo = "to not care about something."
Ele não liga para o que os outros pensam.
He doesn't care what others think.
Common Mistakes
❌ Eu gosto muito Lisboa.
Incorrect — gostar requires de before its object.
✅ Eu gosto muito de Lisboa.
I really like Lisbon.
❌ Eu preciso um favor.
Incorrect — precisar takes de.
✅ Eu preciso de um favor.
I need a favor.
❌ Estou pensando sobre o futuro.
Wrong preposition — 'think about' is pensar EM, not sobre, in standard usage.
✅ Estou pensando no futuro.
I'm thinking about the future.
❌ Vou assistir o show. (in formal writing)
Substandard for prescriptive grammar — assistir (to watch) takes a.
✅ Vou assistir ao show. (standard) / Vou assistir o show. (informal BR)
I'm going to watch the show.
❌ Você pode contar em mim.
Wrong preposition — contar (to rely on) takes com.
✅ Você pode contar comigo.
You can count on me.
Key Takeaways
- Portuguese verb–preposition pairings are largely unpredictable and must be memorized as units.
- The biggest English-speaker trap is the de group, where the English equivalents take no preposition: gostar de, precisar de, lembrar de, esquecer de.
- Pensar takes em (not sobre), assistir (to watch) takes a, contar (to rely) takes com.
- When the preposition meets an article it contracts: de + o = do, em + a = na, a + o = ao.
Now practice Portuguese
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Verbs with Required PrepositionsB1 — The most important Brazilian Portuguese verb + preposition pairs — gostar de, assistir a, pensar em, contar com, lutar por — grouped by preposition, with notes on which ones colloquial speech drops.
- Prepositions Required by VerbsB1 — Verb government in Brazilian Portuguese (regência verbal): which verbs demand de, a, em, com, or por before their object — gostar de, assistir a, pensar em, sonhar com — and how everyday speech bends the prescriptive rules.
- GostarA1 — Full conjugation and usage reference for 'gostar' (to like) — a perfectly regular -ar verb whose one cardinal rule is the mandatory preposition 'de' before its object.
- Pronominal (Reflexive) Verb ListB1 — A reference list of Brazilian Portuguese pronominal verbs, each with its meaning and the preposition it requires.
- Preposition ErrorsB1 — The most common preposition mistakes English speakers make in Brazilian Portuguese, why they happen, and how to fix verb and adjective government.
- AssistirA2 — Conjugation and usage of assistir — to watch/attend (with 'a'), a classic false friend that does NOT mean 'to assist'.