Formal regência (normative verb government)

What it is

Regência verbal is the relationship between a verb and its complements: whether it takes a preposition, and which one. For most verbs, speech and writing agree. But a small, closed set of verbs works one way in everyday Brazilian speech and another way in the norma-padrão, the standard expected in exams (ENEM, public-service exams, Celpe-Bras), journalism and formal writing. At C1 you should know this list by heart, use the norm when you write, and stay relaxed about the spoken forms, which are standard Brazilian conversation.

The verbs to know

Crase comes with the package

When the norm adds the preposition a before a feminine noun with its article, the two merge into à: assistir à palestra, obedecer às normas, aspirar à vaga, preferir a praia à montanha. Many crase errors are really regência errors: if you know that obedecer takes a, you know that obedecer às regras needs the accent.

Pronouns

Verbs that take a + person use lhe in formal writing: Obedeço-lhe, Respondi-lhe ontem, Paguei-lhe o valor combinado. With things, use a ele / a ela: Assisti a ele (the film), never assisti-lhe. Transitive verbs take o / a: O médico o assistiu, Ele a namora. In speech all of this becomes Respondi ele, Assisti ele, which is fine in conversation.

When to use which

• Formal writing: the norm column, always. Reread the verbs above whenever you finish a text.
• Conversation, messages, informal emails: the spoken forms are normal; using the norm there is fine too, but Ele namora a Júlia can sound slightly bookish next to Ele namora com a Júlia in a chat.

Other verbs that trip writers

• pagar / perdoar: the thing is direct, the person indirect: Paguei a conta ao fornecedor; Perdoou a dívida ao irmão.
• agradecer: agradecer a alguém por algo: Agradeço a todos pela presença.
• informar / avisar: two patterns, both correct: informar alguém de algo or informar algo a alguém. Don't blend them (informar a alguém de algo).
• simpatizar com is not pronominal: Simpatizei com ela, never me simpatizei.
• proceder a ("carry out", in minutes and reports): Procedeu-se à leitura da ata.
• residir / situar-se em: residente na Rua do Sol, situado na Avenida Beira-Mar.

In context

An ENEM-style sentence: O programa visa à redução da evasão escolar, o que implica investimentos em transporte e alimentação. As escolas que aderirem deverão obedecer às diretrizes do ministério. Three norm regências (visar a, implicar without em, obedecer a) and two crases that follow from them.

Contrasts and traps

• Don't hypercorrect: ajudar alguém is transitive (Ajudei a Ana, not Ajudei à Ana). Atender o telefone and atender ao telefone are both accepted.
• No mais with preferir: preferir already means "like more"; prefiro mais is redundant.
• Esquecer vs esquecer-se de: choose one structure; me esqueci o nome mixes them.
• Two meanings of assistir: assistir ao paciente would mean watching the patient. The doctor assiste o paciente.

If you speak Spanish

You have an advantage: Spanish already uses several of the norm forms. Ir a, llegar a, preferir X a Y, responder a and transitive implicar all match Portuguese writing, so don't copy Brazilian speech (fui no, implica em) into your texts. The traps are elsewhere. Spanish asistir a means "attend", while Portuguese assistir a means above all "watch" (assistir a um filme); for "to help", say ajudar. Spanish salir con leads to namorar com, which is speech, not the norm. And Spanish obedecer las reglas (no a with things) becomes obedecer às regras in Portuguese.