Nominalization is the grammatical operation of turning a verb or an adjective into a noun. To decide becomes decisão (a decision); to develop becomes desenvolvimento (development); beautiful becomes beleza (beauty); real becomes realidade (reality). Portuguese is extraordinarily rich in nominalising suffixes — a handful of productive morphemes that can take almost any verb or adjective and spin it into a noun. Mastering these suffixes expands your vocabulary by thousands of words at once, because once you know the pattern, you can often predict the noun from the verb and the verb from the noun. Beyond vocabulary, nominalization is a stylistic tool: it lets you pack complex ideas into compact noun phrases, especially in formal and academic writing. "Desenvolveram uma solução" (they developed a solution) can become "O desenvolvimento de uma solução" (the development of a solution) — a shift that changes register and foregrounds the event as a thing.
This page covers the major nominalising suffixes of Portuguese, what they mean, how they attach, and when to use a nominalised noun versus the verb or adjective it comes from.
Why nominalize?
Three reasons:
- Naming abstract concepts. Many abstractions exist only as nouns: liberdade (freedom), felicidade (happiness), verdade (truth). You cannot say these as verbs.
- Compact writing. "Quando a empresa decidiu expandir, perdeu dinheiro" (When the company decided to expand, it lost money) becomes, in a report, "A decisão de expansão da empresa gerou perdas" (The company's expansion decision caused losses). The nominalised version is denser.
- Register. Formal, academic, journalistic, legal, and technical Portuguese leans heavily on nominalizations. Casual speech favours verbs.
Verbs to nouns — the major suffixes
The suffix -ção (from verbs ending in -ar, mostly)
-ção is the most productive nominalising suffix in Portuguese. It attaches overwhelmingly to -ar verbs (and sometimes to -ir verbs), producing a noun that names the action or its result. These nouns are almost always feminine.
| Verb | Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| preparar | a preparação | preparation |
| decidir | a decisão | decision |
| executar | a execução | execution |
| informar | a informação | information |
| construir | a construção | construction |
| criar | a criação | creation |
| explicar | a explicação | explanation |
| apresentar | a apresentação | presentation |
| organizar | a organização | organisation |
| educar | a educação | education |
A preparação do jantar levou-me três horas.
The dinner preparation took me three hours.
A decisão do tribunal surpreendeu toda a gente.
The court's decision surprised everyone.
A construção da nova ponte está quase concluída.
The construction of the new bridge is almost complete.
A educação dos filhos é uma responsabilidade partilhada.
The education of children is a shared responsibility.
Many -ção nouns have an English cognate in -tion (decision → decisão, information → informação, construction → construção). This is helpful for recognition, but beware false patterns: some English -tion words do not exist in Portuguese with -ção, and vice versa.
Ambiguity alert: the same -ção noun can name either the action (a construção levou dois anos — the construction took two years) or the result (a construção é linda — the building is beautiful). Context disambiguates.
The suffix -mento (from verbs of all classes)
-mento is the second most productive suffix. It attaches freely to -ar, -er, and -ir verbs. The resulting nouns are masculine and often emphasise the process or state rather than the single act.
| Verb | Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| desenvolver | o desenvolvimento | development |
| conhecer | o conhecimento | knowledge |
| pensar | o pensamento | thought / thinking |
| sentir | o sentimento | feeling |
| tratar | o tratamento | treatment |
| crescer | o crescimento | growth |
| pagar | o pagamento | payment |
| movimentar | o movimento | movement |
| isolar | o isolamento | isolation |
| julgar | o julgamento | judgement / trial |
O desenvolvimento económico do país acelerou na última década.
The country's economic development accelerated in the last decade.
O conhecimento que adquiri na universidade foi fundamental.
The knowledge I gained at university was fundamental.
O crescimento das crianças é rápido no primeiro ano.
Children's growth is rapid in the first year.
Some verbs can produce both a -ção and a -mento noun, with different meanings: mover → movimento (movement, motion); tratar → tratamento (treatment, as in medical or polite address). There is no rule that forces a verb to take only one suffix — historical usage has fixed which form is standard.
The suffix -agem (from verbs of motion, passage, work)
-agem produces feminine nouns and often attaches to verbs of motion, passage, or action performed over time. It is common but less productive than -ção and -mento.
| Verb | Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| passar | a passagem | passage / passing |
| viajar | a viagem | trip / voyage |
| limpar | a limpeza | cleaning |
| lavar | a lavagem | washing |
| aterrar | a aterragem | landing (aircraft) |
| rodar | a rodagem | shooting (film) / running-in |
| montar | a montagem | assembly / editing |
| reportar | a reportagem | report (news) |
A viagem de comboio para o Porto demora três horas.
The train trip to Porto takes three hours.
A aterragem foi suave apesar do vento.
The landing was smooth despite the wind.
A lavagem do carro custa dez euros.
The car wash costs ten euros.
A montagem do documentário demorou seis meses.
The editing of the documentary took six months.
Other verb-to-noun suffixes
-ada / -ida — action of short duration, or a single instance. Feminine.
- chegar → a chegada (arrival)
- partir → a partida (departure)
- vir → a vinda (coming)
- ir → a ida (going)
- correr → a corrida (race, running)
- entrar → a entrada (entrance)
- sair → a saída (exit)
A chegada do voo está marcada para as oito da noite.
The flight arrival is scheduled for eight in the evening.
A partida do comboio foi adiada por uma hora.
The train's departure was delayed by an hour.
Zero derivation — sometimes the verb stem, or a form of it, serves as the noun without any suffix. These are masculine.
- acordar → o acordo (agreement)
- trabalhar → o trabalho (work)
- abraçar → o abraço (hug)
- olhar → o olhar (look, gaze)
- beijar → o beijo (kiss)
Demos um abraço longo antes de ele partir.
We gave each other a long hug before he left.
O olhar dela disse tudo.
Her look said everything.
-or / -dor / -tor — these produce agent nouns (the one who does the action), not the name of the action itself. Trabalhador (worker, from trabalhar), escritor (writer, from escrever), jogador (player, from jogar), pintor (painter, from pintar), professor (teacher, from professar), tradutor (translator, from traduzir).
Os trabalhadores da fábrica estão em greve.
The factory workers are on strike.
Adjectives to nouns — the major suffixes
The suffix -eza
-eza turns adjectives into abstract nouns naming a quality. These nouns are feminine.
| Adjective | Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| belo | a beleza | beauty |
| grande | a grandeza | greatness / magnitude |
| pobre | a pobreza | poverty |
| rico | a riqueza | wealth |
| triste | a tristeza | sadness |
| puro | a pureza | purity |
| firme | a firmeza | firmness |
| gentil | a gentileza | kindness |
A beleza das praias do Algarve atrai turistas de todo o mundo.
The beauty of the Algarve beaches attracts tourists from all over the world.
A pobreza infantil ainda é um problema grave no país.
Child poverty is still a serious problem in the country.
A tristeza que senti ao ouvir a notícia foi profunda.
The sadness I felt on hearing the news was deep.
The suffix -dade (the workhorse)
-dade is massively productive. It forms feminine nouns naming a quality, state, or property. English often has cognates in -ty.
| Adjective | Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| verdadeiro | a verdade | truth |
| feliz | a felicidade | happiness |
| real | a realidade | reality |
| livre | a liberdade | freedom |
| necessário | a necessidade | necessity |
| possível | a possibilidade | possibility |
| difícil | a dificuldade | difficulty |
| simples | a simplicidade | simplicity |
| capaz | a capacidade | capacity |
| responsável | a responsabilidade | responsibility |
A liberdade de expressão é um direito fundamental.
Freedom of expression is a fundamental right.
A dificuldade deste exame foi maior do que eu esperava.
The difficulty of this exam was greater than I expected.
A realidade nem sempre corresponde às nossas expectativas.
Reality doesn't always match our expectations.
The suffix -ismo
-ismo produces masculine nouns naming a doctrine, movement, tendency, or quality. Often linked with -ista (the adherent).
| Adjective / Noun | Noun | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| moderno | o modernismo | modernism |
| otimista | o otimismo | optimism |
| pessimista | o pessimismo | pessimism |
| realista | o realismo | realism |
| egoísta | o egoísmo | selfishness |
| idealista | o idealismo | idealism |
| romântico | o romantismo | romanticism |
O otimismo dela é contagiante.
Her optimism is contagious.
O modernismo português teve em Pessoa um dos seus maiores representantes.
Portuguese modernism had in Pessoa one of its greatest representatives.
Other adjective-to-noun patterns
- -ura (quiet, old-fashioned feel): loucura (madness, from louco), doçura (sweetness, from doce), largura (width, from largo).
- -ância / -ência: importância (importance, from importante), paciência (patience, from paciente), ignorância (ignorance, from ignorante).
- -ice (often pejorative): velhice (old age, from velho), tolice (foolishness, from tolo), meninice (childishness).
A doçura do doce de ovos é incomparável.
The sweetness of the egg-yolk sweet is incomparable.
A importância deste momento não pode ser subestimada.
The importance of this moment cannot be underestimated.
A velhice é uma fase da vida que a nossa sociedade tem medo de enfrentar.
Old age is a life stage our society is afraid to confront.
The infinitive as a noun
Portuguese (like Spanish and Italian, and unlike English) allows the infinitive itself to function as a noun, without any suffix. You simply put a definite article in front.
O cantar é uma arte.
Singing is an art.
O beber em excesso prejudica a saúde.
Drinking in excess harms health.
O viver é mais importante do que o sobreviver.
Living is more important than surviving.
Admiro o pensar metódico dele.
I admire his methodical thinking.
This construction is slightly literary. In everyday speech, Portuguese prefers the noun (when one exists) — o canto, a bebida, a vida — or recasts the sentence with a conjugated verb. But as a stylistic device, the nominalised infinitive is powerful and concise. It frames an activity as an abstract thing. English -ing forms do similar work ("swimming is fun"), but English does not use a definite article ("the swimming is fun" would be restrictive, referring to a specific activity).
Nominalized infinitive with explicit subject — the inflected infinitive
Portuguese has the rare feature of a personal infinitive that can carry person-marking. When you nominalise an infinitive and want to specify who performs the action, you can use the inflected infinitive:
O chegarmos atrasados deixou-o furioso.
Our arriving late made him furious.
O partires sem avisar foi uma surpresa.
Your leaving without warning was a surprise.
This construction has no English parallel and is one of the trickiest elegances of Portuguese. For most learners, it is something to recognise and read, not produce freely.
When to nominalise — stylistic choices
Compare these two sentences:
Decidimos expandir a empresa, e isso gerou grandes perdas. (We decided to expand the company, and this caused big losses.)
A nossa decisão de expandir a empresa gerou grandes perdas. (Our decision to expand the company caused big losses.)
Both are correct. The first is more dynamic — it describes events in sequence. The second is more compact — it packages the whole event as a noun and puts the consequence into sharper focus. A newspaper or report will likely choose the second. A friend on the phone will choose the first.
Chegou tarde. Isso irritou-me.
He arrived late. That annoyed me. (conversational)
A sua chegada tardia irritou-me.
His late arrival annoyed me. (compact, slightly formal)
Os investigadores descobriram uma nova proteína, o que promete revolucionar o tratamento.
The researchers discovered a new protein, which promises to revolutionise treatment. (verb-based)
A descoberta de uma nova proteína pelos investigadores promete uma revolução no tratamento.
The researchers' discovery of a new protein promises a revolution in treatment. (nominalised — journalistic)
Overusing nominalizations produces heavy, bureaucratic prose. The so-called "noun disease" — long chains of -ção nouns — is a cliché of bad government writing. Good writers mix nominalizations with verbs.
Nominalizing adjectives by adding an article (bare nominalization)
You can also nominalise an adjective without any suffix, simply by putting a definite article in front. The resulting noun refers to the quality abstractly or to a person/thing characterised by it.
O bom e o mau coexistem em todos nós.
Good and evil coexist in all of us.
O difícil é começar.
The hard part is starting.
O importante é participar.
The important thing is to take part.
Os ricos não entendem a vida dos pobres.
The rich don't understand the lives of the poor.
O + adjective refers to either a neuter abstract concept or a masculine singular individual; a + adjective to a feminine; os/as + adjective to the plural group. This pattern is extremely productive and used constantly.
Common Mistakes
❌ A decisar da empresa foi arriscada.
Incorrect — decisar is not a word. The noun is a decisão.
✅ A decisão da empresa foi arriscada.
The company's decision was risky.
❌ O desenvolvimento é difícil de aprender.
Ambiguous — sounds odd without a complement. Nominalised nouns often need a complement with de.
✅ O desenvolvimento de software é difícil de aprender.
Software development is hard to learn.
❌ A felicidade é muito importante para mim, preciso de sentir feliz.
Incorrect — preciso de sentir-me feliz. The adjective stays an adjective in predicative use.
✅ A felicidade é muito importante para mim; preciso de me sentir feliz.
Happiness is very important to me; I need to feel happy.
❌ O cantar é bonito cantar.
Incorrect — you can't nominalise and still use the verb. Choose one.
✅ Cantar é bonito.
Singing is beautiful. (verb-based)
✅ O cantar é uma arte antiga.
Singing is an ancient art. (nominalised with article)
❌ A beauteza daquela praia é incrível.
Incorrect — beauteza is not a word. The noun is beleza.
✅ A beleza daquela praia é incrível.
The beauty of that beach is incredible.
Key Takeaways
- Portuguese has a small set of highly productive nominalising suffixes: -ção, -mento, -agem, -eza, -dade, -ismo, plus less common ones (-ura, -ância/-ência, -ice).
- -ção and -mento cover most verb-to-noun conversions; -dade and -eza cover most adjective-to-noun conversions.
- The infinitive with a definite article (o cantar, o viver) can serve as a noun — slightly literary, very concise.
- A bare adjective with an article (o bom, o difícil) can name an abstract quality or a group of people.
- Nominalizations are the hallmark of formal, academic, and journalistic Portuguese. They compress information and foreground events as things.
- Overusing them produces heavy prose. The best Portuguese writing alternates between verbs (for motion and agency) and nominalizations (for focus and packaging).
Related Topics
- Complex Grammar OverviewB1 — A map of advanced syntactic structures in European Portuguese — conditionals, reported speech, relative clauses, cleft sentences, concessives, causatives, and more
- Relative Clauses OverviewA2 — How relative clauses work in European Portuguese — que, quem, o qual, cujo, onde, and the restrictive vs non-restrictive distinction.
- Cleft Sentences (É Que)B1 — Splitting a sentence to spotlight one element — é que, foi que, é o que, pseudo-clefts, and the colloquial que é inversion.
- Infinitive Clauses (Impersonal and Personal Infinitive in Subordination)B1 — How Portuguese uses infinitive clauses instead of finite subordinate clauses — the three-way contrast between infinitive, personal infinitive, and subjunctive, and when each is preferred.