Vou ter de acabar o projeto depois.

Breakdown of Vou ter de acabar o projeto depois.

ir
to go
ter de
to have to
o projeto
the project
acabar
to finish
depois
later

Questions & Answers about Vou ter de acabar o projeto depois.

Why are there two infinitive verbs (ter and acabar) in this sentence?
This sentence combines two verb structures. First, the near future tense: the conjugated verb ir (vou) plus the infinitive ter, meaning "going to have". Second, the phrase for an obligation: ter de plus the infinitive acabar, meaning "to have to finish". You can stack these structures together just like you do in English to get "going to have to finish".
Why is the word de needed after ter?
By itself, the verb ter means "to have" in the sense of owning something (like having a dog). When you want to say that you "have to" or "must" do an action, you have to add de after it, forming the phrase ter de. This is always followed by another verb in its dictionary form (the infinitive).
I sometimes hear Portuguese people say ter que. Is that the same as ter de?
Yes, in spoken, everyday Portuguese, you will hear both ter que and ter de used to mean "have to". However, ter de is considered the grammatically correct written form in Portugal. As a beginner, it is safer to practice using ter de.
Could I say terminar instead of acabar?
Absolutely. Both acabar and terminar mean "to finish" or "to end". They are very interchangeable, though acabar is often a bit more common in relaxed, everyday conversation.

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