The human head is filled not only with memories of the past, but also with thoughts of the future. These thoughts are most often transformed into dreams and goals. Today we will learn to look into the future and talk about our plans.
Vocabulary
Of course, in one article we cannot cover all the variety of plans that a person can have. However, over the course of life, each person has a set of similar events. Let’s find out what and how it will be in Portuguese.
- arranjar um cão – get a dog
- tirar a carta de condução – get a driver’s license
- entrar na universidade – enter the University
- passar nos exames – take exams
- encontrar um trabalho – get a job
- casar-se – to marry
- divorciar-se – to get divorced
- reformar-se – retire
All of the listed verbs are regular and conjugated according to the general rule.
The form
The use of the future can be avoided by using verbs such as “querer” (to want), for example. That is, they help to talk about the future without using the Future form. That is:
Eu quero ir a um bar amanhã à noite. (I want to go to the bar tomorrow night.)
Nós queremos viajar para Espanha no próximo mês. (We want to travel to Spain next month.)
That is, the point is that the main verb, the main action takes place at the present moment, so in this way you can get by with the already existing knowledge about the Present Tense.
Also, you already know that we can say about the Future using the usual Present Tense. For example:
Amanhã faço o exame. (I’m taking the exam tomorrow.)
Na próxima semana compro um carro novo. (I’m buying a new car next week.)
That is, by and large, this knowledge is enough to describe plans for the future. However, there is a special form in Portuguese that is good to know. The verb “ir” (to go) will help us with this, since the Future is obtained as follows: ir + infinitive. In this case, we conjugate the verb “ir“, but the main semantic verb does not change its form. Namely:
Vou entrar na Universidade no próximo ano. (I will be going to University next year.)
Elas vão vender o apartamento daqui a um ano. (They will be selling the apartment in a year.)
Nós vamos celebrar o aniversário da mãe hoje à noite. (We’ll be celebrating Mom’s birthday tonight.)
This is how the Future form in Portuguese is easily formed. It is enough to know the conjugation forms of the verb “ir” and we already know how to talk about the future! This is even easier than using the Present Tense to tell about the future, because otherwise you need to know the conjugation forms of all verbs.
The verbs “ir” and “vir”
At this stage, we have a new verb “vir“. This is a verb of movement and is irregular. Let’s see the forms of its conjugation.
| Verbo “vir“ | |
| Eu | venho |
| Tu | vens |
| Ele, ela, você | vem |
| Nós | vimos |
| Eles, elas, vocês | vêm |
Before we talk about the future use of the verbs “ir” and “vir“, we want to tell you how they differ. The verb “ir” means “to go there“, and “vir” means “to go here“, that is, they differ only in the direction of movement.
O Marco vai ao cinema. (Marco goes to the movies.)
Tu vens para casa muito tarde. (You come home very late.)
“Ir” and “vir” in the Future
What if we already use the verb “ir” to form the Future? Do we really need to say it twice? No, we don’t. We remove one extra verb “ir“.
That is, we use only its form in the Present Tense. We do the same with the verb “vir“, that is, we use the forms of the present when we talk about the future.
Amanhã de manhã a Elena vem ao escritório. (Elena comes to the office tomorrow morning.)
Eles vão à Ucrânia no próximo mês. (They will travel to Ukraine next month.)
There are no forms “vou ir” or “vai vir“!
Dialogue
To consolidate today’s material, you must read the following dialogue:
A: Neste fim de semana planeio começar um curso de português na Escola Caravela. (This weekend I plan to start a Portuguese course at the Caravel School.)
B: Boa ideia! Qual é o horário? (Good idea! What time and what schedule?)
A: As aulas vão ser à terça e à sexta de manhã. Mas amanhã um professor vai avaliar o meu nível. (Lessons will be on Tuesdays and Fridays in the mornings. But tomorrow a teacher will determine my level.)
B: Tens um nível? Estás a surpreender-me! Onde fica a escola? (Do you have any level? You are surprising me! Where is the school?)
A: Vejo vídeos em português na internet, já sei algo. A escola fica em Portugal, em cidades diferentes. (I watch videos in Portuguese on the Internet, I already know something. The school is located in Portugal, in different cities.)
B: Então o teu nível é zero, ou seja, principiante. Vais a Portugal? (Then your level is zero, that is, beginner. Will you go to Portugal?)
A: Agora não. Vou aprender português pelo Zoom. Mas no verão vou fazer um curso intensivo lá no país. Podemos ir juntos. Se calhar, depois do curso, vou viajar pelo país. Podes vir fazer-me companhia. (Not now. I will study Portuguese through Zoom. But in the summer I will do the Intensive Course there in the country. We can go together. Maybe, after the course I will travel around the country. You can come to join me.)
B: Estás cheio de ideias! Só viajar é chato. Vou aprender português também. Assim é mais interessante! (You are full of ideas! It is just boring to travel. I will learn Portuguese too. This way is more interesting!)
A: Então no sábado espero por ti em casa às 15:00. Depois vamos a um bar. (Then on Saturday, I’m waiting for you at home at 15:00. Then we will go to the bar.)
B: Combinado! Venho às 14:55. (Deal! I’ll come at 14:55.)
This is such a simple and meaningful conversation using the future form. The plans that the interlocutors have conceived are not only a good idea, but also an example to follow.
Conclusion
Making plans is an important strategic step in life. However, many people stay at the planning stage and do not follow through. The same goes for learning Portuguese. Make plans for the future with your present. Start learning the language not tomorrow, but now.