Verbal Regency: The Relationship of Verbs with their Complements

Verbal regency is the dependency relationship established between verbs and their complements. Mastering regency means knowing when a verb requires a preposition or not and which preposition to use, fundamental aspects for precision and elegance in communication.

What is Verbal Regency?

Verbal regency determines:

If the verb is transitive direct (without preposition)
If the verb is transitive indirect (with preposition)
If the verb is transitive direct and indirect (two complements)
If the verb is intransitive (without complement)
Which preposition the verb requires

Verb Classification

Direct Transitive Verbs (VTD)

Connect to complement without preposition:

Buy something: Comprei um livro (I bought a book)
See someone: Vi Maria (I saw Maria)
Do something: Fiz o trabalho (I did the work)

Indirect Transitive Verbs (VTI)

Require preposition:

Like: Gosto de música (I like music)
Need: Preciso de ajuda (I need help)
Believe in: Acredito em você (I believe in you)

Direct and Indirect Transitive Verbs (VTDI)

Have two complements:

Give something to someone: Dei o livro ao João (I gave the book to João)
Inform someone of something: Informei o diretor do problema (I informed the director of the problem)
Prefer something to something: Prefiro café a chá (I prefer coffee to tea)

Intransitive Verbs (VI)

Have complete meaning:

Arrive: Cheguei cedo (I arrived early)
Die: O paciente morreu (The patient died)
Be born: A criança nasceu (The child was born)

Verbs with Variable Regency

ASPIRAR

Direct Transitive = To Inhale, Breathe In

Aspirou o perfume das flores (Inhaled the perfume of the flowers)
Aspiramos o ar puro da montanha (We breathe the pure mountain air)

Indirect Transitive = To Desire, Aspire To

Aspira ao cargo de diretor (Aspires to the position of director)
Aspiramos a uma vida melhor (We aspire to a better life)

ASSISTIR

Direct Transitive = To Help, Assist

O médico assistiu o paciente (The doctor assisted the patient)
Assistimos os necessitados (We help the needy)

Indirect Transitive = To Watch, Witness

Assisti ao filme (I watched the movie)
Assistimos à peça de teatro (We watched the play)

Indirect Transitive = To Be Entitled To

Esse direito assiste ao trabalhador (This right belongs to the worker)
Assiste ao juiz decidir (It’s up to the judge to decide)

Intransitive = To Live, Reside

Assisto em São Paulo (I live in São Paulo)
Assistia em Brasília (I lived in Brasília)

CHAMAR

Direct Transitive = To Call, Summon

Chamei o médico (I called the doctor)
Chamaram os bombeiros (They called the firefighters)

Direct or Indirect Transitive = To Name, Call

Chamei-o (de) covarde (I called him a coward)
Chamaram-lhe (de) herói (They called him a hero)

CHEGAR / IR (To Arrive / To Go)

Always with preposition A (movement):

Cheguei a casa (I arrived home)
Vou ao trabalho (I go to work)
Foram à praia (They went to the beach)

❌ Incorrect: “Cheguei em casa” (I arrived in home)

CUSTAR

Intransitive = To Cost, Have a Price

O livro custou R$ 50 (The book cost R$ 50)
Quanto custa? (How much does it cost?)

Indirect Transitive = To Be Difficult

Custa-me acreditar (It’s hard for me to believe)
Custou-lhe entender (It was hard for him to understand)

❌ Incorrect: “Eu custo a acreditar” (I cost to believe)

ESQUECER / LEMBRAR (To Forget / To Remember)

Direct Transitive (without pronoun)

Esqueci o nome (I forgot the name)
Lembrei o compromisso (I remembered the appointment)

Indirect Transitive (with pronoun)

Esqueci-me do nome (I forgot the name)
Lembrei-me do compromisso (I remembered the appointment)

IMPLICAR

Direct Transitive = To Imply, Entail

A decisão implica mudanças (The decision implies changes)
Isso implica riscos (This implies risks)

Indirect Transitive = To Pick On, Tease

Implica com todos (Picks on everyone)
Sempre implicou comigo (Always picked on me)

OBEDECER / DESOBEDECER (To Obey / To Disobey)

Always indirect transitive:

Obedeço aos pais (I obey my parents)
Desobedeceu às regras (Disobeyed the rules)
Obedecemos à lei (We obey the law)

PAGAR / PERDOAR (To Pay / To Forgive)

Thing = Direct Object

Paguei a conta (I paid the bill)
Perdoei os erros (I forgave the mistakes)

Person = Indirect Object

Paguei ao garçom (I paid the waiter)
Perdoei ao amigo (I forgave my friend)

PREFERIR (To Prefer)

Direct and indirect transitive (without “than”):

Prefiro café a chá (I prefer coffee to tea)
Preferimos trabalhar a ficar parados (We prefer working to being idle)

❌ Incorrect: “Prefiro café do que chá” (I prefer coffee than tea)

QUERER

Direct Transitive = To Want

Quero paz (I want peace)
Queremos justiça (We want justice)

Indirect Transitive = To Love, Care For

Quero aos meus pais (I love my parents)
Quero bem a todos (I wish everyone well)

VISAR

Direct Transitive = To Aim, To Stamp

O atirador visou o alvo (The shooter aimed at the target)
O cônsul visou o passaporte (The consul stamped the passport)

Indirect Transitive = To Aim For, Seek

Visa ao lucro (Aims for profit)
Visamos ao bem comum (We aim for the common good)

Regency and Relative Pronouns

QUE (That/Which)

Takes the verb’s regency:

O livro de que gosto (The book that I like - gostar de)
A pessoa em que confio (The person whom I trust - confiar em)
O filme a que assisti (The movie that I watched - assistir a)

QUEM (Who/Whom)

Always preceded by preposition:

A pessoa a quem me refiro (The person to whom I refer)
O amigo em quem confio (The friend in whom I trust)
O professor de quem falei (The teacher about whom I spoke)

ONDE (Where)

Indicates physical place:

A casa onde moro (The house where I live - morar em)
O país aonde vou (The country where I’m going - ir a)
A cidade donde venho (The city from where I come - vir de)

Change of Meaning by Regency

AGRADAR

Agradar alguém = to caress, pet (TD)
Agradar a alguém = to please (TI)

PROCEDER

O avião procedeu de Paris = to originate from (TI)
Proceder à votação = to proceed with (TI)
Sua observação procede = to be valid (VI)

PRECISAR

Precisar o horário = to specify exactly (TD)
Precisar de ajuda = to need (TI)

Regency of Pronominal Verbs

ARREPENDER-SE (To Regret)

Arrepender-se de algo (To regret something)
Arrependeu-se dos erros (Regretted the mistakes)

CERTIFICAR-SE (To Make Sure)

Certificar-se de algo (To make sure of something)
Certifiquei-me da verdade (I made sure of the truth)

QUEIXAR-SE (To Complain)

Queixar-se de algo/alguém (To complain about something/someone)
Queixou-se do atendimento (Complained about the service)

Common Regency Errors

1. Movement Verbs

❌ “Cheguei em casa” (I arrived in home) ✅ “Cheguei a casa” (I arrived home)

❌ “Vou no cinema” (I go in the cinema) ✅ “Vou ao cinema” (I go to the cinema)

2. Prefer

❌ “Prefiro mais café do que chá” (I prefer more coffee than tea) ✅ “Prefiro café a chá” (I prefer coffee to tea)

3. Watch (assistir)

❌ “Assisti o jogo” (I watched the game - missing preposition) ✅ “Assisti ao jogo” (I watched the game)

4. Aim (visar - to aim for)

❌ “Visa o sucesso” (Aims the success) ✅ “Visa ao sucesso” (Aims for success)

5. Imply (implicar)

❌ “Implica em mudanças” (Implies in changes) ✅ “Implica mudanças” (Implies changes)

Regency in Fixed Expressions

Correct Expressions

Estar de acordo (To be in agreement)
Ter em vista (To have in mind)
Pôr em prática (To put into practice)
Dar a entender (To give to understand)
Fazer às vezes de (To act as)

Expressions to Avoid

❌ “A nível de” (At level of) ✅ “Em nível de” or “No nível de” (At the level of)

❌ “Face a” (Face to) ✅ “Em face de” or “Diante de” (In face of)

Regional Variations

Brazil

Tendency to eliminate prepositions: “Fui no cinema” (I went in the cinema)
Use of “em” after movement verbs
Simplification in informal registers

Portugal

Rigorous maintenance of prepositions
Preservation of classical regencies
Less colloquial variation

Regency and Crasis

Verbal regency determines the use of crasis:

Obedeço à lei (I obey the law - obedecer a + a lei)
Refiro-me à proposta (I refer to the proposal - referir-se a + a proposta)
Assisti à peça (I watched the play - assistir a + a peça)

Practical Tips

1. Consult the Dictionary

Good dictionaries indicate verb regency

2. Replace with Pronoun

If replaced by “o/a” = direct transitive
If replaced by “lhe” = indirect transitive

3. Observe Context

The same verb can have different regencies

4. Practice with Reading

Formal texts are models of good regency

Practice Exercises

Complete with the Appropriate Preposition

I aspire _ the manager position.
I watched _ movie yesterday.
I prefer coffee _ tea.
I arrived _ home late.

Answers

to (ao)
the (ao)
to (a)
- (a)

Practical Applications

In Formal Writing

Absolute rigor in regency
Consultation of reliable sources
Careful revision

In Oral Communication

Contextual flexibility
Attention to registers
Message clarity

Conclusion

Verbal regency is a fundamental aspect of the Portuguese language that goes beyond memorizing rules. Understanding the relationships between verbs and their complements allows for more precise and elegant communication. Mastery of regency reveals care for the language and contributes to the clarity and correctness of discourse, whether in formal writing or everyday communication.