Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Vincar bem o papel para criar o vinco. - Crease the paper well to create the crease.

Using the infinitive for instructions is very common in Portuguese manuals, recipes, and tutorials. This is known as the instructional or prescriptive infinitive. It provides a general, impersonal instruction rather than directing a command at a specific person.

Are vincar and vinco related?

Yes, they belong to the same word family. Vincar is the action verb meaning to crease or to fold firmly, while o vinco is the resulting noun meaning the crease or the fold.

Why is bem placed right after the verb instead of at the end of the phrase?

In Portuguese, short adverbs of manner like bem (well) and mal (badly) usually go immediately after the verb they modify. Because of this rule, you will see vincar bem o papel rather than putting bem at the very end like we typically do in English.

Why do we use para criar in the second half of the sentence?

The preposition para followed by an infinitive is the standard way to express purpose in Portuguese, translating to 'in order to'. Here, para criar simply means 'in order to create'.