Repeating said and told all the time makes your English sound basic. Reporting verbs like admit, refuse, promise and apologise summarize what someone said and show their intention. The challenge is the pattern after each verb: admit doing, but refuse to do.Repetir said e told o tempo todo deixa seu inglês com cara de básico. Verbos de relato como admit, refuse, promise e apologise resumem o que alguém disse e mostram a intenção da pessoa. O desafio é a estrutura depois de cada verbo: admit doing, mas refuse to do.
B1+ Verb + to-infinitive
Some verbs are followed directly by to + base verb. They usually report decisions, offers and promises, things about the future.Alguns verbos são seguidos diretamente de to + verbo na forma base. Normalmente relatam decisões, ofertas e promessas, coisas sobre o futuro.
- “I won’t pay for it!” → He refused to pay for it. (Ele se recusou a pagar.)
- “I’ll help you with the project.” → Camila offered to help me with the project. (A Camila se ofereceu para me ajudar com o projeto.)
- “OK, I’ll drive.” → My brother agreed to drive. (Meu irmão concordou em dirigir.)
- “I’ll never be late again.” → She promised not to be late again. (Ela prometeu não se atrasar de novo.)
- “Turn it down or I’ll call the police!” → Our neighbour threatened to call the police. (Nosso vizinho ameaçou chamar a polícia.)
Other verbs with this pattern
decide, claim, demand, hope, plan, pretend, swear. Notice that claim to and pretend to can also report the past with a perfect infinitive: He claimed to have seen a ghost.decide, claim, demand, hope, plan, pretend, swear. Repare que claim to e pretend to também podem relatar o passado com o infinitivo perfeito: Ele afirmou ter visto um fantasma.
B1+ Verb + person + to-infinitive
Verbs that report advice, orders and requests need the person first, then (not) to + verb. You cannot leave out the person.Verbos que relatam conselhos, ordens e pedidos precisam da pessoa primeiro e depois de (not) to + verbo. Não dá para omitir a pessoa.
| Verb | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| advise | The doctor advised me to rest. | O médico me aconselhou a descansar. |
| warn | She warned us not to swim there. | Ela nos alertou para não nadar ali. |
| remind | Mom reminded me to take my passport. | Minha mãe me lembrou de levar o passaporte. |
| persuade | I persuaded Leo to join the gym. | Convenci o Leo a entrar na academia. |
| encourage | My teacher encouraged me to apply. | Meu professor me incentivou a me candidatar. |
| invite | They invited us to stay for dinner. | Eles nos convidaram para ficar para o jantar. |
Remind, not remember
✗ She remembered me to call the bank. ✓ She reminded me to call the bank.Em português, “lembrar alguém de algo” usa o mesmo verbo, mas em inglês é remind (fazer alguém lembrar). Remember é lembrar você mesmo.
B1+ Verb + -ing and verb + preposition + -ing
Verbs like admit, deny, suggest, recommend and mention are followed by the -ing form. With admit and deny, we can also use having + past participle to stress that the action was in the past.Verbos como admit, deny, suggest, recommend e mention são seguidos da forma -ing. Com admit e deny, também podemos usar having + particípio para destacar que a ação foi no passado.
- “Yes, I broke the vase.” → Pedro admitted breaking the vase. (O Pedro admitiu ter quebrado o vaso.)
- “I didn’t copy the answers!” → She denied copying the answers. (Ela negou ter colado as respostas.)
- “Let’s take a taxi.” → Ana suggested taking a taxi. (A Ana sugeriu pegar um táxi.)
- The minister denied having received the money. (O ministro negou ter recebido o dinheiro.)
Other verbs need a preposition, and after a preposition the verb always takes -ing. Some have the person between the verb and the preposition.Outros verbos precisam de uma preposição, e depois de preposição o verbo sempre vai com -ing. Alguns têm a pessoa entre o verbo e a preposição.
| Pattern | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| apologise for | He apologised for being late. | Ele pediu desculpas pelo atraso. |
| insist on | Grandma insisted on paying the bill. | A vovó insistiu em pagar a conta. |
| accuse someone of | They accused him of lying. | Eles o acusaram de mentir. |
| blame someone for | She blamed me for losing the keys. | Ela me culpou por perder as chaves. |
| congratulate someone on | We congratulated Bia on passing the exam. | Parabenizamos a Bia por passar na prova. |
| thank someone for | I thanked them for helping me. | Agradeci a eles pela ajuda. |
Teacher’s tip
Learn reporting verbs as chunks, not single words: admit doing, refuse to do, warn someone not to do, apologise for doing. Write them in your notebook with one example each and say them aloud.Aprenda os verbos de relato em blocos, não como palavras soltas: admit doing, refuse to do, warn someone not to do, apologise for doing. Anote cada um no caderno com um exemplo e fale em voz alta.
B1+ Suggest, recommend and that-clauses
Many reporting verbs can also take a that-clause: admit, deny, claim, promise, explain, insist, agree, suggest. This is useful when the subject of the second verb is different.Muitos verbos de relato também aceitam uma oração com that: admit, deny, claim, promise, explain, insist, agree, suggest. Isso é útil quando o sujeito do segundo verbo é diferente.
- He admitted that he had made a mistake. (Ele admitiu que tinha cometido um erro.)
- She promised that she would call me. (Ela prometeu que ia me ligar.)
- The teacher suggested that we review chapter 4. (A professora sugeriu que revisássemos o capítulo 4.)
suggest + -ing
When the speaker is included in the idea.Quando quem fala está incluído na ideia.
Rafa suggested going to the beach. (O Rafa sugeriu irmos à praia.)
suggest that + subject + verb
When we say who should do it.Quando dizemos quem deve fazer.
Rafa suggested that I go to the beach. (O Rafa sugeriu que eu fosse à praia.)
Never: suggest someone to do
Suggest and recommend do not follow the pattern of advise. After suggest that, use the base verb (that she study) or should (that she should study).Suggest e recommend não seguem a estrutura de advise. Depois de suggest that, use o verbo na forma base (that she study) ou should (that she should study).
Common Mistakes
Avoid these
✗ He admitted to steal the money. ✓ He admitted stealing the money.Admit é seguido de -ing (ou de to + -ing: admitted to stealing).
✗ She refused paying the fine. ✓ She refused to pay the fine.Refuse pede to + verbo.
✗ My friend suggested me to buy a new laptop. ✓ My friend suggested that I buy a new laptop.Suggest não aceita pessoa + to.
✗ He apologised for be late. ✓ He apologised for being late.Depois de preposição, use -ing.
✗ They accused him for cheating. ✓ They accused him of cheating.A preposição de accuse é of, não “for”.
Quick Summary
| Pattern | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| verb + to (refuse, offer, promise) | She refused to answer. | Ela se recusou a responder. |
| verb + person + to (advise, warn) | He warned me not to go. | Ele me alertou para não ir. |
| verb + -ing (admit, deny, suggest) | They denied cheating. | Eles negaram ter colado. |
| verb + preposition + -ing | I apologised for shouting. | Pedi desculpas por ter gritado. |
| verb + person + preposition + -ing | She thanked me for coming. | Ela me agradeceu por ter vindo. |
| verb + that-clause | He suggested that I rest. | Ele sugeriu que eu descansasse. |
Practice Time
Quiz