I can talk about my plans for tomorrow and next week, and say what I usually do, what I'm starting to do, and what I've just done, without using the past tense.
Soon, usually, starting, just done
Soon, usually, starting, just done
To talk about plans and habits, four constructions with the infinitive are enough.
The near future is ir + infinitive, like English “going to”: “Vou viajar na próxima semana”, “Vamos passear logo”. You know the forms of ir: vou, vais, vai, vamos, vão.
If you're simply going somewhere, don't say “vou ir”, even though English says “I'm going to go”: “Vou a Évora amanhã”.
Time expressions for soon: “amanhã”, “depois de amanhã”, “na próxima semana”, “daqui a dois dias”, “logo”, “mais tarde”.
A habit is costumar + infinitive, with no preposition: “Costumo almoçar à uma” (“I usually have lunch at one”).
Starting is começar a + infinitive: “Começo a estudar às nove”. Something that has just happened is acabar de + infinitive: “A Inês acaba de chegar” (“Inês has just arrived”). Each verb has its own preposition, or none, and English “to” is no guide.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Vou ir a Évora” → “Vou a Évora”.
• NOT “Vou viajo amanhã” → “Vou viajar amanhã”: after “vou” comes the infinitive.
• NOT “Costumo a almoçar à uma” → “Costumo almoçar à uma”.
• NOT “Começo trabalhar cedo” → “Começo a trabalhar cedo”.
Soon, usually, starting, just done
Each construction has its own preposition, or none at all.
| Construction | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ir + infinitive | soon, a plan | vou passear logo |
| costumar + infinitive | usually | costumo ler à noite |
| começar a + infinitive | I'm starting | começo a estudar |
| acabar de + infinitive | have just | acabo de comer |
Words for the near future
All six time expressions work with “ir” and the infinitive.
| Time expression | Example |
|---|---|
| amanhã | vou estudar amanhã de manhã |
| depois de amanhã | vou passear depois de amanhã à tarde |
| na próxima semana | vou começar na próxima semana |
| daqui a | vou voltar daqui a duas horas |
| logo | vamos falar logo |
| mais tarde | vou voltar mais tarde |
Lesson notes
Soon, usually, starting, just done
To talk about plans and habits, four constructions with the infinitive are enough.
The near future is ir + infinitive, like English “going to”: “Vou viajar na próxima semana”, “Vamos passear logo”. You know the forms of ir: vou, vais, vai, vamos, vão.
If you're simply going somewhere, don't say “vou ir”, even though English says “I'm going to go”: “Vou a Évora amanhã”.
Time expressions for soon: “amanhã”, “depois de amanhã”, “na próxima semana”, “daqui a dois dias”, “logo”, “mais tarde”.
A habit is costumar + infinitive, with no preposition: “Costumo almoçar à uma” (“I usually have lunch at one”).
Starting is começar a + infinitive: “Começo a estudar às nove”. Something that has just happened is acabar de + infinitive: “A Inês acaba de chegar” (“Inês has just arrived”). Each verb has its own preposition, or none, and English “to” is no guide.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Vou ir a Évora” → “Vou a Évora”.
• NOT “Vou viajo amanhã” → “Vou viajar amanhã”: after “vou” comes the infinitive.
• NOT “Costumo a almoçar à uma” → “Costumo almoçar à uma”.
• NOT “Começo trabalhar cedo” → “Começo a trabalhar cedo”.