PREPOSITIONS
1) A preposition in Portuguese is either simple or compound, as seen in the following
examples.
a / com / de / em / para / por / sem
(= adverb + simple preposition)
(= adverb phrase + simple preposition)
2) A preposition combines with a (pro)noun to form a prepositional phrase,
which functions either as an adjective or as an adverb.
O anel de diamantes custa muito.
O relógio dele não custa muito.
A situação vai de mal a pior.
3) A prepositional object
a) may be either a (pro)noun, an infinitive, or a clause (preceded by que):
Pedro se esqueceu de Marta.
Pedro se esqueceu de estudar.
Pedro se esqueceu de que vamos embora.
b) must follow the preposition, never the verb (unlike in colloquial English); compare:
the person with whom I study
o livro sobre o qual falei
the book about which I spoke
4) The following is a list of simple prepositions, some of which might be problematic for an
English (or Spanish) speaker.
1
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1
See pp. 298–300 for charts of compound preposition; and pp. 56, 89, 106, 121n6, 278 (chart) for
contractions of prepositions with articles, prepositional pronouns, demonstratives, and outro.