Introduction
Understanding causative constructions is key to sounding natural in Brazilian Portuguese. This article explains how to express causation using fazer and deixar, two verbs that often mean make or let. You will learn their structures, meanings, differences, and common uses with clear examples and cultural notes to help you use them confidently in everyday conversation.
- What is a causative construction?
- Overview: fazer vs deixar
- Basic structures
- Using infinitives vs past participles
- Subjects and objects: who causes and who acts?
- Negation and questions
- Reflexive and causative combinations
- Differences in nuance: force, permission, and result
- Common verbs that pair with fazer and deixar
- Examples with translation and notes
- Conjugation patterns and tense usage
- Subjunctive and infinitive after causatives
- Regional and register notes
- Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
- Practical tips for learners
- Further reading and resources
- Conclusion
What is a causative construction?
A causative construction shows that one person or thing causes another person or thing to perform an action or be in a certain state. In English we use expressions like make someone do something or let someone do something. In Brazilian Portuguese, the verbs fazer and deixar are the most common ways to form causatives.
Overview: fazer vs deixar
Fazer generally means to cause or force someone or something to do something. It often implies a stronger cause, intention, or result. Deixar usually means to allow, permit, or leave something as it is; it suggests permission or letting something happen rather than forcing it.
Compare this general distinction with English. Fazer ~ make (cause), deixar ~ let/allow. But note that usage can vary with tone, context, and formality.
Basic structures
Causative with fazer
Structure: subject + fazer (conjugated) + object (person/thing caused) + infinitive or past participle
Examples using infinitive:
Eu faço meu filho estudar.
Ela fez o carro funcionar.
In these cases, fazer is followed by an infinitive verb representing the action caused. The object is the person or thing that performs the action or experiences the change.
Causative with deixar
Structure: subject + deixar (conjugated) + object + infinitive or adjective
Examples:
Eu deixei ela sair cedo.
Ele deixou a porta aberta.
When followed by an infinitive, deixar usually means to allow. When followed by an adjective, it often means to leave something in a certain state.
Using infinitives vs past participles
Both fazer and deixar can be followed by infinitives or past participles, but meaning changes with the form.
Infinitive after fazer
Fazer + infinitive expresses causing someone to do an action.
Ele fez os alunos escreverem a redação.
A mãe faz o bebê dormir cedo.
Past participle after fazer
Fazer + past participle conveys having something done or causing a result to happen to something.
Ela fez a casa pintada.
O chefe fez o relatório entregue ontem.
Note: Some speakers prefer passive constructions for clarity, like Ela mandou pintar a casa or Ela fez pintar a casa, depending on region and register.
Infinitive after deixar
Deixar + infinitive means permit or allow.
Ele deixou as crianças brincarem no quintal.
Não me deixaram entrar na festa.
Adjective or past participle after deixar
Deixar + adjective/past participle means to leave something in a state.
Ela deixou o bolo pronto.
Eles deixaram o quarto arrumado.
Subjects and objects: who causes and who acts?
In causative constructions the subject is the causer, the object is the one caused, and the infinitive expresses the action. Pay attention to pronouns and clitic placement in Portuguese.
Pronouns with fazer
Direct object pronouns come before the verb or can be attached to infinitives depending on style.
Eu fiz ele estudar. (colloquial)
Eu o fiz estudar. (more formal)
When using an infinitive, pronouns often attach: Eu fiz-o estudar or Eu o fiz estudar, but in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, Eu fiz ele estudar is common.
Pronouns with deixar
With deixar, pronouns behave similarly.
Eu deixei ela ir. (spoken)
Eu a deixei ir. (formal)
Negation and questions
To negate a causative, place não before fazer or deixar.
Ele não deixou eu falar.
Você não fez o trabalho terminar?
In colloquial speech, people may say Não me deixou falar or Não me deixou terminar, with the object pronoun me focusing on the person prevented.
Reflexive and causative combinations
Some verbs are used reflexively or in pronominal forms. You can combine reflexive constructions with causatives to express that someone caused themselves to be in a state or allowed themselves to act.
Ela se deixou levar pela emoção.
Eu me fiz entender. (less common)
Note that reflexive uses introduce nuance and are often idiomatic; focus on common collocations when learning.
Differences in nuance: force, permission, and result
Fazer often implies an active role by the causer — arranging, forcing, or causing an action or change. Deixar usually implies permission or leaving something as it is.
Compare:
O pai fez o filho estudar. (implies he made him study, possibly strict)
O pai deixou o filho estudar. (implies he let him study, gave permission)
However, context matters. Fazer can also mean to have something done by someone else, as in fazer consertar o carro (have the car repaired), which is close to arranging rather than forcing.
Common verbs that pair with fazer and deixar
Certain verbs appear frequently after these causatives. Recognizing patterns helps you form natural sentences.
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fazer + estudar, trabalhar, falar, chorar, parar
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deixar + entrar, sair, falar, usar
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deixar + adjective: deixar pronto, deixar sujo, deixar claro
Examples with translation and notes
Eu fiz você lembrar de ligar para sua mãe.
I made you remember to call your mother. (fazer causing someone to remember)
Ela deixou os convidados escolherem as músicas.
She let the guests choose the songs. (deixar as permission)
O mecânico fez o carro funcionar de novo.
The mechanic got the car working again / made the car work again. (fazer to cause a result)
Ele deixou o café esfriar.
He let the coffee cool. (deixar as leave/allow)
Nós fizemos o contrato assinado ontem.
We had the contract signed yesterday. (fazer + past participle: arranged for signing)
Minha avó deixou a casa cheia de fotos antigas.
My grandmother left the house full of old photos. (deixar + state)
Conjugation patterns and tense usage
Use the same tense on fazer or deixar to show time. The infinitive that follows is non-finite and does not change for tense, so time is understood from the main verb.
Present: Eu faço eles estudarem todos os dias. (I make them study every day)
Past: Eu fiz eles estudarem ontem. (I made them study yesterday)
Future: Eu farei eles estudarem amanhã. (I will make them study tomorrow)
Conditional and subjunctive forms are used in more complex sentences: Eu faria você mudar de ideia if…, or Quero que você me deixe falar uses subjunctive after querer.
Subjunctive and infinitive after causatives
Because causative verbs usually take an infinitive, the subjunctive is less common directly after fazer or deixar. But indirect causation or expressions of desire often involve subjunctive in subordinate clauses.
Quero que você me deixe provar o prato. (desire + deixar + infinitive structure)
Espero que ele me faça entender o problema. (rare; more natural: Espero que ele me explique ou Quero que ele me faça entender uses object structure)
Regional and register notes
Brazilian Portuguese speakers often prefer spoken, simple structures like Eu fiz ele fazer instead of more formal Eu o fiz fazer. In Portugal, placement and formality differ more. Formal writing may use passive or periphrastic constructions, like mandar + infinitive or mandar fazer, to express causation in formal contexts.
Cultural note: Brazilians commonly use deixar in everyday contexts to mean let or leave. For example, Deixa pra lá is a frequent colloquial phrase meaning let it go or never mind.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
1) Confusing causative meaning with possession or simple action: Eu fiz o carro means I made the car, which is incomplete. Always include the action or state if needed: Eu fiz o carro funcionar.
2) Overusing formal pronoun placement: In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, natural word order is fine. Use formal placements only in written or formal speech.
3) Mixing up deixar + infinitive and deixar + adjective: Choose infinitive to show permission, adjective for state. Eu deixei ele ir vs Eu deixei a janela aberta.
Practical tips for learners
1) Listen for natural phrases: Pay attention to how natives use fazer and deixar in movies, songs, and conversations.
2) Practice common collocations: Learn typical verbs that follow these causatives so you can produce natural sentences quickly.
3) Use context to decide nuance: If you mean to give permission, choose deixar. If you mean to cause or arrange, choose fazer.
Further reading and resources
To deepen your understanding, study example sentences in corpora, watch Brazilian Portuguese media for natural usage, and read grammar references that discuss periphrasis and causativity. Pay attention to register differences between spoken and written Portuguese.
Conclusion
Mastering causatives with fazer and deixar helps you express cause, permission, and results more precisely in Brazilian Portuguese. Focus on the core distinction — fazer to cause or arrange, deixar to allow or leave in a state — and practice common patterns to speak naturally. Listening to native usage and noting collocations will make these constructions feel intuitive.
