Portuguese grammar · Elementary (A2)
The future: vou fazer and farei
The spoken future with ir + infinitive, the present for plans, the simple future (farei) in writing and forecasts, and será que for wondering.
Ir + infinitive: the spoken future
In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, the future is the present of followed by an infinitive, like English “going to”: (I'm going to travel tomorrow, I'll travel tomorrow.) It's used for plans, intentions, predictions and promises.
For “I'm going to go”, Brazilians usually just say : Small pronouns go between the two verbs: (I'll call you.) goes before :
| Person | Example | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I'm going to study. | |||
| You're going to like it. | |||
| / / | It's going to rain. | ||
| We're going to eat out. | |||
| We're going to arrive late. | |||
| / / | Are you going to stay here? |
The present for plans
As in English, the present can describe arrangements and timetables, usually with a time word: (Tomorrow I'm working early.) (The bus leaves at eight.)
The present is also common for quick offers and promises, where English uses “I'll”: (I'll call you later.) (I'll pay.)
- No sábado a gente vai à praia e no domingo descansa.On Saturday we're going to the beach and on Sunday we're resting.
- O voo chega às dez da noite.The flight arrives at ten at night.
- Deixa que eu levo as bebidas.Leave it to me, I'll bring the drinks.
The simple future: falarei
Portuguese also has a one-word future. Add the endings -ei, -ás, -á, -emos, -ão to the whole infinitive: → . All verbs use the same endings, and only three have a different stem: → , → , → .
In Brazil the simple future belongs mostly to writing, news, weather forecasts, formal speeches and promises that sound solemn. In conversation it can sound formal, so use + infinitive instead. You need to understand it, but you don't need to use it when you speak.
| Person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| / / | |||
| / / |
- Amanhã o tempo será ensolarado em todo o estado.Tomorrow the weather will be sunny across the state. · weather forecast
- A temperatura máxima chegará a 32 graus.The maximum temperature will reach 32 degrees.
- O novo hospital terá duzentos leitos.The new hospital will have two hundred beds. · news
- Entraremos em contato em breve.We'll be in touch soon. · formal email
Wondering and guessing: será que
The simple future of is very common in one spoken phrase: It means “I wonder if…” or “Do you think…?”, and the rest of the sentence uses a normal tense: (Do you think it's going to rain?)
In more careful speech and in writing, the simple future can also express a guess about the present: (Where can Pedro be?) In conversation, Brazilians usually say
- Será que a loja ainda está aberta?I wonder if the shop is still open.
- Será que ele esqueceu?Do you think he forgot?
- Será que você podia me ajudar?I wonder if you could help me. · a polite request
Which future to use
When you talk, use + infinitive or the present, and when you wonder about something. Keep the simple future for reading and formal writing.
After and about the future, Portuguese uses a special form, the future subjunctive: (When I arrive, I'll call you.) It has its own page at B1.
| Situation | Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| plans, intentions, predictions | + infinitive | I'm going to buy a car. | |
| arrangements, timetables | present | The concert starts at nine. | |
| quick offers and promises | present | I'll help you. | |
| forecasts, news, formal writing | simple future | The mayor will make an announcement. | |
| wondering | Do you think she'll come? |