Portuguese · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 8 of 12
Plans and invitations
Planos e convites
Make, accept, decline and change plans in Portuguese: estar + gerund for what's happening now, que tal…?, é que… and fica para a próxima.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what you're doing right now with estar + gerund
- Suggest plans with vamos…?, que tal…? and por que a gente não…?
- Decline politely with é que… and fica para a próxima
- Arrange a time and place to meet
Listen
In João Pessoa, Tiago phones his friend Carolina on Thursday afternoon. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Carolina
Oi, Tiago. Tudo bem?
Hi, Tiago. How are you?
Tiago
Tudo. O que você está fazendo?
Fine. What are you doing?
Carolina
Estou saindo do trabalho agora. Por quê?
I'm just leaving work. Why?
Tiago
Que tal um forró hoje à noite? Os ingressos custam só vinte reais.
How about a forró tonight? The tickets are only twenty reais.
Carolina
Ah, hoje não posso. É que amanhã eu trabalho muito cedo.
Oh, I can't tonight. It's just that I'm working very early tomorrow.
Tiago
E amanhã à noite?
And tomorrow night?
Carolina
Amanhã eu vou jantar com a minha mãe. Fica para a próxima?
Tomorrow I'm having dinner with my mum. Maybe next time?
Tiago
Tá. Então por que a gente não vai ao cinema no sábado? Está passando um filme brasileiro novo.
OK. So why don't we go to the cinema on Saturday? There's a new Brazilian film on.
Carolina
Boa ideia. A que horas?
Good idea. What time?
Tiago
O filme é às sete. A gente pode jantar depois.
The film's at seven. We can have dinner afterwards.
Carolina
Beleza. Então vamos marcar às seis e meia, na frente do cinema.
Great. So let's say half past six, in front of the cinema.
Tiago
Combinado. A gente se vê no sábado.
Deal. See you on Saturday.
Understand
What are you doing? Estar + gerund
To say what is happening right now, use + the “gerund”, the -ing form. Take off the -r of the infinitive and add -ndo: → , → , → . There are almost no irregular forms: → .
Unlike English, Portuguese doesn't use this form for future plans. For “I'm having dinner with my mum tomorrow”, use + infinitive or the present: or .
In Portugal you'll hear + infinitive instead: . In Brazil, always say .
| Portuguese | English |
|---|---|
| I'm leaving work. | |
| What are you doing? | |
| We're having dinner. | |
| There's a new film on. |
Suggesting, accepting and declining
To suggest something, say Vamos…? + infinitive, Que tal…? + a noun or infinitive (How about…?) or Por que a gente não…? (Why don't we…?). Among friends you'll also hear (Let's go!), a very informal short form of .
To say no politely, Brazilians rarely give a flat . They start with É que… (It's just that…) and give a reason, and often add (Let's leave it for next time).
| Accepting | Declining |
|---|---|
Fixing the time and place
means to arrange or set a time: (Shall we say half past six?). To meet somewhere, give the place with (in front of), or , as in A1: .
To end the call, say (Deal) and (See you), often with the day: If you need to change a plan, works here too, or suggest another day:
- Vamos marcar às oito, perto do metrô?Shall we meet at eight, near the metro?
- A que horas é o filme?What time is the film?
- Combinado. A gente se vê amanhã.Deal. See you tomorrow.
More in the grammar: Brazilian and European Portuguese · Present tense of regular verbs · Estar + gerund and other verb phrases · The future: vou fazer and farei
New words
- o que você está fazendo?what are you doing?
- que tal…?how about…? · ,
- o forróforró (music and dance from the Northeast) · masculine; also a night out dancing it
- hoje à noitetonight
- o ingressoticket (for a show, a film, a match) · masculine
- é que…it's just that… · to give a reason when you say no
- fica para a próximamaybe next time, let's leave it for next time
- por que a gente não…?why don't we…?
- o cinemacinema · masculine
- o filmefilm, movie · masculine; : it's showing; : a new film
- depoisafterwards, later
- belezagreat, OK (informal) · literally “beauty”
- marcarto arrange, to set (a time, a meeting)
- a gente se vêsee you
Practise
1.Your friend phones while you're having lunch. What do you say?
2.Complete with the gerund of .
What are you doing?
3.Suggest a plan: “How about a film on Saturday?”
How about a film on Saturday?
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Why don't we go to the cinema?
5.Match the Portuguese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.How do you say “I'm having dinner with my mum tomorrow”?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Que tal um forró hoje à noite?
How about a forró tonight?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.