If you want to say that someone started doing something in Portuguese, you probably already know the structure:
começar a + infinitivo
Comecei a estudar português.
I started studying Portuguese.
But there is another very useful construction that can sometimes be translated similarly:
passar a + infinitivo
Passei a estudar português.
At first, these two structures can look like they mean the same thing. However, there is an important difference.
In this lesson, we’ll look at começar a and passar a, and how you can use them to talk about changes in habits, behaviour, circumstances and situations.
Começar a + infinitivo
Começar a + infinitivo means to start/begin doing something.
It focuses on the beginning of an action.
Comecei a trabalhar às nove.
I started working at nine.
Ela começou a aprender português no ano passado.
She started learning Portuguese last year.
Começámos a ver televisão depois do jantar.
We started watching television after dinner.
The important idea is that an action begins. Think:
COMEÇAR A = the beginning of an action
Before → beginning → action
For example:
Antes não estudava português. Depois, comecei a estudar português.
Before, I didn’t study Portuguese. Then, I started studying Portuguese.
Passar a + infinitivo
Passar a + infinitivo describes a change from one situation to another. It can often be understood as:
to start doing something as a new pattern
or
to become the new situation
The idea of “from then on” is often present.
Depois de me mudar para Portugal, passei a estudar português todos os dias.
After moving to Portugal, I started studying Portuguese every day.
The important idea isn’t simply that the studying began. Studying Portuguese every day became part of the person’s new routine.
Another example:
Depois de ter um filho, passou a trabalhar menos.
After having a child, he/she started working less.
Here, passar a highlights the change in the person’s circumstances. Think of it as:
old situation → change → new situation
Compare the two
Look at these sentences:
Comecei a trabalhar em casa.
I started working from home.
Passei a trabalhar em casa.
I started working from home (From then on, I worked from home.)
The English translations can be almost identical, but the Portuguese gives us a slightly different perspective.
With comecei a, the focus is on when the action started.
With passei a, the focus is on the change in circumstances and the new situation that followed.
Another example
Comecei a fazer exercício.
I started exercising.
This tells us that exercising began.
Passei a fazer exercício de manhã.
I started exercising in the morning.
This suggests that exercising in the morning became the new routine.
Passar a isn’t only about habits
You will often see passar a + infinitivo when talking about new habits, but it can also describe a change in a condition, role, function or situation.
Depois da reforma, passou a viver no campo.
After retiring, he/she moved to live in the countryside.
A empresa passou a ser responsável pelo projeto.
The company became responsible for the project.
O edifício passou a funcionar como museu.
The building began to function as a museum.
In each case, passar a presents a transition from one situation to another.
Passar a and historical changes
This construction is also very useful when discussing history, politics, and changes in society. For example:
Em 1910, Portugal passou a ser uma República.
In 1910, Portugal became a republic.
Here, passar a describes a change in the country’s political situation. We can imagine:
Antes: Portugal was a monarchy.
↓
Mudança: 1910
↓
Depois: Portugal passou a ser uma república.
Another example:
Depois da Revolução de 1974, Portugal passou a ser uma democracia.
After the 1974 Revolution, Portugal became a democracy.
In sentences like these, passar a is much more than “start”. It describes a transition from one state to another.
Passar a + a partir de
You will often see passar a + infinitivo together with a specific point in time. A very useful structure is:
A partir de + time + passar a + infinitivo
A partir de setembro, vou passar a trabalhar de manhã. (From September onwards, I’m going to start working in the morning.)
A partir do próximo ano, vamos passar a pagar mais impostos. (From next year onwards, we will start paying more taxes.)
A partir daquele momento, passaram a viver juntos. (From that moment onwards, they lived together.)
The expression a partir de (locução prepositiva for the language buffs 😉) makes the idea of a new situation particularly clear.
Passar a and deixar de
When describing a change, passar a often works naturally with deixar de.
deixar de + infinitivo = to stop doing something
passar a + infinitivo = to start doing something as a new situation or pattern
For example:
Deixei de trabalhar no escritório e passei a trabalhar em casa.
I stopped working in the office and started working from home.
Or:
Antes, ia de carro para o trabalho. Depois, deixei de usar o carro e passei a ir de bicicleta.
Before, I went to work by car. Then, I stopped using the car and started going by bicycle.
This is a very useful pattern for talking about changes in your life and routines.
A quick grammar note
Remember that passar a + infinitivo is a construction that can be used in different tenses.
Passei a trabalhar em casa.
I started working from home.
Vou passar a trabalhar em casa.
I’m going to start working from home.
Passaria a trabalhar em casa.
I would start working from home.
The verb passar changes according to the tense, but a + infinitivo remains.
Começar a or passar a?
Here’s a quick way to remember the difference:
| Começar a + infinitivo | Passar a + infinitivo |
|---|---|
| Focuses on the beginning | Focuses on the change |
| An action begins | A new situation begins |
| “to start doing” | “to start doing as a new pattern” |
| Comecei a estudar. | Passei a estudar todos os dias. |
| Começou a trabalhar às nove. | Passou a trabalhar em casa. |
So ask yourself:
Am I talking about the beginning of an action?
→ começar a
Am I describing a change that creates a new situation or pattern?
→ passar a
Let’s practise!
Fill in the blank spaces.
The key idea
Both começar a and passar a can tell us that something starts, but the emphasis is different.
COMEÇAR A + infinitivo
→ the beginning of an action
Comecei a estudar português.
PASSAR A + infinitivo
→ a change to a new situation or pattern
Passei a estudar português todos os dias.
Once you start noticing this difference, you’ll see passar a + infinitivo frequently when reading and listening to European Portuguese, particularly when people describe changes in their lives, routines, circumstances, organisations and society.
Also Read: Estar a Fazer vs Andar a Fazer