I can say where I'm going and where I'm coming from — “Vou para casa”, “Venho do trabalho” — ask for directions, and understand the answer.
Where to and where from
Where to and where from
Two verbs of motion: “ir” — to go there, “vir” — to come here.
ir: vou, vais, vai, vamos, vão. vir: venho, vens, vem, vimos, vêm. The third-person forms of “vir” differ only by the accent mark (“vem” and “vêm”) — learn them by sight; the course checks them by choice.
“a” — for a short time: “Vou ao centro”. “para” — for a long time, and for going home: “Vou para o Brasil”, “Vou para casa”. “de” — where from: “Venho do trabalho”. English uses “to” for both a and para.
The verb chooses its own preposition, and the preposition joins the article: chegar a (“Chego ao hotel”), entrar em (“Entro na escola”), sair de (“Saio de casa” — “casa” has no article here).
To ask the way and understand the answer, use set phrases: “Desculpa, onde é a estação?” — “Segue sempre em frente”, “Vira à direita”, “É ao fundo da rua”. These answers use tu. If you asked formally (“Desculpe, …”), the polite answer avoids those tu forms: “É ao fundo da rua”, “Fica perto daqui”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Vou na escola” — heard in Brazil, but in European Portuguese: “Vou à escola.”
• NOT “Venho de a escola” → “Venho da escola.”
• NOT “Chego a o hotel” → “Chego ao hotel.”
Ir and vir
Only the circumflex (^) tells vem and vêm apart — learn them by sight.
| Who | ir (to go there) | vir (to come here) |
|---|---|---|
| eu | vou | venho |
| tu | vais | vens |
| ele, ela, você | vai | vem |
| nós | vamos | vimos |
| eles, elas, vocês | vão | vêm |
A, para, or de
The preposition shows how long you're going for and where you're coming from.
| Preposition | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | for a short time | Vou ao centro |
| para | for a long time; going home | Vou para casa |
| de | where from | Venho do trabalho |
Lesson notes
Where to and where from
Two verbs of motion: “ir” — to go there, “vir” — to come here.
ir: vou, vais, vai, vamos, vão. vir: venho, vens, vem, vimos, vêm. The third-person forms of “vir” differ only by the accent mark (“vem” and “vêm”) — learn them by sight; the course checks them by choice.
“a” — for a short time: “Vou ao centro”. “para” — for a long time, and for going home: “Vou para o Brasil”, “Vou para casa”. “de” — where from: “Venho do trabalho”. English uses “to” for both a and para.
The verb chooses its own preposition, and the preposition joins the article: chegar a (“Chego ao hotel”), entrar em (“Entro na escola”), sair de (“Saio de casa” — “casa” has no article here).
To ask the way and understand the answer, use set phrases: “Desculpa, onde é a estação?” — “Segue sempre em frente”, “Vira à direita”, “É ao fundo da rua”. These answers use tu. If you asked formally (“Desculpe, …”), the polite answer avoids those tu forms: “É ao fundo da rua”, “Fica perto daqui”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Vou na escola” — heard in Brazil, but in European Portuguese: “Vou à escola.”
• NOT “Venho de a escola” → “Venho da escola.”
• NOT “Chego a o hotel” → “Chego ao hotel.”