Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to talk about plans using the most common spoken future construction.
Lesson Explanation
For plans, Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses ir + infinitive: Vou viajar amanhã, Vamos estudar. This is the everyday counterpart of English “going to.”
Do not add a between ir and the infinitive in this construction. Vou comer is correct; vou a comer is not the normal Brazilian pattern.
Practice Questions
1. What construction expresses near-future plans?
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ir + infinitive.2. Write “I am going to travel tomorrow.”
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Vou viajar amanhã.3. Write “We are going to study.”
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Vamos estudar.4. Write “She is going to work.”
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Ela vai trabalhar.5. Should a be added in this Brazilian pattern?
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No.
6. Which is correct: vou comer or vou a comer?
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vou comer.7. Write “They are going to arrive.”
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Eles vão chegar.8. What does amanhã mean?
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Tomorrow.
9. What does viajar mean?
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To travel.
10. Write “I am going to learn Portuguese.”
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Vou aprender português.11. What verb form follows vou?
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The infinitive.
12. Is this construction common in everyday Brazilian speech?
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Yes.