A whole family of Brazilian Portuguese verbs marks the phase of an action — its start, its end, its continuation, its resumption. Começar a (start to), parar de (stop doing), continuar (keep doing), voltar a (resume), and deixar de (give up). They behave like auxiliaries, attaching to a second verb, but each one demands a specific preposition (or none). Getting the preposition right is the whole game here — and there is no single logic, so this page groups them so you can memorize them efficiently.
Começar a + infinitive: to start
Começar takes the preposition a before the infinitive. It marks the beginning of an action.
Comecei a estudar português em 2020.
I started studying Portuguese in 2020.
Do nada o céu escureceu e começou a chover.
Out of nowhere the sky darkened and it started to rain.
A gente vai começar a treinar na academia semana que vem.
We're going to start working out at the gym next week.
Watch the spelling of começar: the cedilla appears only before a/o/u, where plain c would otherwise be hard /k/ — so começar, começou, começa, começamos all take the ç. Before e/i, plain c is already soft /s/, so no cedilla is needed: the eu preterite is comecei. The sound stays /s/ throughout; only the spelling shifts with the following vowel.
Parar de + infinitive: to stop
Parar takes de. It marks the cessation of an ongoing action.
Parei de fumar faz três anos.
I stopped smoking three years ago.
Para de mexer no celular na mesa, por favor.
Stop messing with your phone at the table, please.
Não para de chover desde ontem.
It hasn't stopped raining since yesterday.
The contrast with começar a is the contrast between a (toward, into an action) and de (away from, out of an action) — a faint logic you can lean on, though it isn't airtight across all verbs.
Continuar: a OR gerúndio
Continuar ("to continue / keep doing") is special: Brazilian Portuguese accepts two constructions, and both are fully correct.
- continuar a
- infinitive: continuo a estudar
- continuar
- gerúndio: continuo estudando
Continuo estudando todos os dias mesmo cansada.
I keep studying every day even when I'm tired.
Mesmo com a crise, a empresa continua a investir em tecnologia.
Even with the crisis, the company keeps investing in technology.
In Brazilian Portuguese the gerúndio version (continuo estudando) is by far the more colloquial and frequent. The continuar a + infinitive version (continuo a estudar) is perfectly grammatical and a touch more formal or written; it's the dominant form in European Portuguese. Both are correct in Brazil — but if you want to sound like a Brazilian in conversation, reach for the gerund.
Voltar a + infinitive: to resume
Voltar takes a to mean "to do something again / resume." Literally "to return to doing."
Depois de anos parado, ele voltou a fumar.
After years off it, he started smoking again.
Quero voltar a treinar depois que minha perna sarar.
I want to get back to training once my leg heals.
Voltar a + infinitive is the crisp way to say "to do X again." English needs the adverb "again"; Portuguese builds it into the verb. (You can also say começar a... de novo, but voltar a is tighter.)
Deixar de + infinitive: to give up / quit
Deixar takes de to mean "to stop / quit / give up doing" — close to parar de, but with a stronger flavor of abandoning a habit or ceasing for good.
Deixei de beber depois que o médico mandou.
I gave up drinking after the doctor told me to.
Ela deixou de assistir TV e passou a ler mais.
She stopped watching TV and took to reading more.
There's a subtle difference from parar de: parar de fumar and deixar de fumar both mean "stop smoking," but deixar de leans toward a deliberate, lasting renunciation, while parar de can be momentary (para de gritar! = stop shouting, right now). For an instantaneous "stop it!" you'd always use parar, never deixar.
The preposition cheat sheet
This is what you actually have to memorize. Group by preposition:
| Preposition | Verbs | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a | começar a, voltar a, passar a | start / resume / take to doing |
| de | parar de, deixar de, acabar de | stop / give up / just did |
| a OR gerund | continuar | keep doing |
How this differs from English
English uses a gerund or an infinitive after these verbs fairly freely ("start to study" / "start studying," "stop smoking," "keep working") and never needs a preposition between the two verbs. Portuguese forces a preposition in most cases (começar a estudar, parar de fumar) and that preposition is fixed per verb — you can't swap it. The good news: once memorized, it's stable. The bad news: there's no way to derive it, so flashcards are your friend. Spanish speakers get empezar a and dejar de as familiar parallels, but must watch that Portuguese continuar prefers the gerund where Spanish uses seguir + gerundio.
Common Mistakes
❌ Comecei estudar português em 2020.
Incorrect — começar requires 'a' before the infinitive.
✅ Comecei a estudar português em 2020.
I started studying Portuguese in 2020.
❌ Parei a fumar faz três anos.
Incorrect — parar takes 'de', not 'a'.
✅ Parei de fumar faz três anos.
I stopped smoking three years ago.
❌ Continuo a estudando todos os dias.
Incorrect — you can't combine 'a' and the gerund; pick one form.
✅ Continuo estudando todos os dias.
I keep studying every day.
❌ Voltei de treinar depois da lesão.
Incorrect — voltar (resume) takes 'a'; 'voltar de' means return FROM a place.
✅ Voltei a treinar depois da lesão.
I went back to training after the injury.
❌ Para a gritar comigo!
Incorrect — parar takes 'de', and word order is off.
✅ Para de gritar comigo!
Stop shouting at me!
Key Takeaways
- começar a, voltar a, passar a take a (entering/resuming an action).
- parar de, deixar de, acabar de take de (leaving/ending an action).
- continuar takes either a
- infinitive or, more colloquially in Brazil, the gerund: continuo estudando.
- The prepositions are fixed and not derivable — memorize them by group.
Now practice Portuguese
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Periphrastic Verb Constructions: OverviewA1 — A tour of the verb + verb constructions that dominate spoken Brazilian Portuguese, with the key BR vs. European Portuguese contrasts.
- Estar + Gerúndio: The ProgressiveA1 — How Brazilian Portuguese builds the present progressive with estar plus the gerund — and why estar a comer marks you as Portuguese.
- Passar a + Infinitivo: Start To (Permanent Change)B1 — How 'passar a' + infinitive marks a permanent shift into a new habit or state — and how it differs from the neutral 'começar a'.
- The Gerund (Gerúndio) in BR PortugueseA2 — An overview of the Brazilian gerund — its five core uses, how to form it, and why it is one of the most audible markers of spoken BR Portuguese.
- Preposition ErrorsB1 — The most common preposition mistakes English speakers make in Brazilian Portuguese, why they happen, and how to fix verb and adjective government.