A1 · Beginner Chapter 13

Time, Space, and Future Plans

4 Total Rules
40 examples
5 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the space around you and the time ahead of you.

  • Locate objects using Portuguese demonstrative adverbs.
  • Express the frequency of your habits and routines.
  • Construct sentences about future plans using the verb 'ir'.
Point it out, count the times, and plan ahead!

What You'll Learn

Hey there, language explorer! Ready for another exciting step in your Portuguese journey? In this chapter, you're going to unlock some super practical ways to talk about where things are, how often you do stuff, and what awesome plans you have coming up. Don't worry, it's way easier than it sounds, and you'll be using these phrases constantly! First up, we'll tackle how to perfectly point out here, there (close to you), and way over there in Portuguese with aqui, «aí,» and «lá.» Imagine being in a bustling market and confidently asking

Is the fruit here?
or telling a friend
My car is over there.
You'll nail it! Next, we'll dive into describing how often you do things. Ever wanted to say
I always drink coffee
or
Sometimes I go for a walk
? You'll learn simple words like sempre (always), às vezes (sometimes), and nunca (never) and where to pop them into your sentences. Suddenly, talking about your daily routine becomes a breeze! And for the grand finale: future plans! This isn't about complicated prophecies; it's about what you're *going to do*. The magic formula is super simple: just conjugate the verb ir (to go) and add the action you're going to take. That's it! Want to say "I'm going to eat pizza? Easy! We are going to travel tomorrow"? Done! It's like having a crystal ball for your conversations. By the end of this chapter, you won't just be learning Portuguese; you'll be living it! You'll be able to tell people exactly where you are, confidently chat about your habits, and effortlessly make plans with friends. Get ready to power up your Portuguese – let's go!

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: correctly identify the location of objects relative to the speaker and listener.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to: describe daily routines using at least three different frequency adverbs.
  3. 3
    By the end you will be able to: formulate three sentences about your upcoming weekend plans.

Chapter Guide

Overview

Hey there, language explorer! Ready for another exciting step in your Portuguese journey? This chapter is your key to unlocking some super practical ways to talk about where things are, how often you do stuff, and what awesome plans you have coming up. For anyone learning Portuguese grammar A1, mastering these concepts will drastically improve your ability to communicate in everyday situations. We’ll dive into essential vocabulary and structures that are not only easy to grasp but also incredibly useful for building foundational Portuguese conversation skills. You'll discover how to confidently point out locations, describe your routines, and effortlessly discuss your future intentions. This guide focuses on giving you the tools to express yourself clearly and naturally, making your learning experience both effective and enjoyable. Get ready to power up your Portuguese – let's go!

How This Grammar Works

Let's break down these core Portuguese grammar A1 concepts. First, for talking about space, we have aqui, ali, and lá. Aqui means "here," referring to a location very close to the speaker. For example: O meu livro está aqui. (My book is here.) Ali means "there," for something near the person you're talking to or a bit further away from the speaker, but still relatively close. For instance: A tua mochila está ali. (Your backpack is there.) Finally, lá means "over there" or "far away," indicating a significant distance from both the speaker and the listener. You might say: Aquele café é lá. (That cafe is over there.)
Next, we tackle adverbs of frequency to describe how often actions occur. You'll use these words to talk about your habits and routines. Sempre means "always": Eu sempre bebo café de manhã. (I always drink coffee in the morning.) Às vezes means "sometimes": Nós às vezes vamos ao cinema. (We sometimes go to the cinema.) And nunca means "never": Ela nunca come carne. (She never eats meat.) These adverbs typically go before the main verb in a sentence.
For future plans, Portuguese offers a wonderfully simple construction at the A1 level: ir + infinitive. This is equivalent to "to be going to do something" in English. You simply conjugate the verb ir (to go) according to the subject, and then add the infinitive form of the action verb. For example, if you want to say "I am going to eat," you'd say: Eu vou comer. (I am going to eat.) For "They are going to travel," it's: Eles vão viajar. (They are going to travel.) This straightforward method makes expressing future intentions incredibly easy for beginners.

Common Mistakes

  1. 1✗ Wrong: Eu vou comer pizza ontem.
✓ Correct: Eu vou comer pizza amanhã. (I am going to eat pizza tomorrow.)
*Explanation:* The ir + infinitive structure is used for *future* plans. Using a past-tense adverb like "ontem" (yesterday) creates a contradiction. Always pair future structures with future time expressions.
  1. 1✗ Wrong: O meu carro lá está.
✓ Correct: O meu carro está lá. (My car is over there.)
*Explanation:* While adverbs of place like lá can sometimes appear at the beginning for emphasis, the most natural and common placement in simple sentences is after the verb "estar" (to be) or "ser" (to be).
  1. 1✗ Wrong: Eu bebo sempre café.
✓ Correct: Eu sempre bebo café. (I always drink coffee.)
*Explanation:* In Portuguese, frequency adverbs like sempre usually come *before* the main verb they modify, not after it, especially in simple declarative sentences.

Real Conversations

A

A

Onde está a casa de banho? (Where is the bathroom?)
B

B

Está ali, à direita. (It's there, on the right.)
A

A

Tu sempre vens aqui? (Do you always come here?)
B

B

Não, às vezes venho. Mas hoje vou almoçar aqui! (No, sometimes I come. But today I'm going to have lunch here!)
A

A

O que vais fazer no fim de semana? (What are you going to do on the weekend?)
B

B

Eu vou visitar a minha família e depois vou descansar em casa. (I'm going to visit my family and then I'm going to rest at home.)

Quick FAQ

Q

What's the main difference between ali and lá in Portuguese?

Ali typically refers to something "there" that is relatively close to the listener or a short distance away from the speaker. Lá indicates something "over there," further away from both the speaker and the listener.

Q

Can I use ir + infinitive to talk about spontaneous future plans, or just pre-planned ones?

Yes, the ir + infinitive structure is very versatile in Portuguese grammar A1 and can be used for both spontaneous decisions and well-thought-out plans, just like "going to do" in English.

Q

Are there other ways to express frequency in Portuguese besides sempre, às vezes, and nunca?

Yes, you can use other adverbs like raramente (rarely), muitas vezes (often/many times), or phrases like todos os dias (every day) or uma vez por semana (once a week).

Q

How do I ask "where is it" in Portuguese if I'm not sure if it's close or far?

You can generally use Onde está...? (Where is...?) and then the person will respond with aqui, ali, or lá depending on the location.

Cultural Context

In daily Portuguese conversations, the precise use of aqui, ali, and lá is very common and helps to clarify location efficiently. The ir + infinitive construction is overwhelmingly popular for expressing future intentions, especially in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, often preferred over the more formal simple future tense (which you'll learn later). Using frequency adverbs like sempre and às vezes is crucial for sharing personal routines and habits, fostering connection in conversations.

Key Examples (8)

1

Meu celular está aqui.

My phone is here.

Here vs There: Aqui, Ali, Lá
2

O que você tem aí na mão?

What do you have there in your hand?

Here vs There: Aqui, Ali, Lá
3

Eu sempre perco meu celular.

I always lose my cell phone.

How Often? (Always, Sometimes, Never)
4

Ela nunca visualiza as mensagens.

She never checks the messages.

How Often? (Always, Sometimes, Never)
5

Eu vou comprar pão.

I'm going to buy bread.

Future Tense: Using `ir + infinitive`
6

Você vai assistir a nova série na Netflix?

Are you going to watch the new series on Netflix?

Future Tense: Using `ir + infinitive`
7

Eu vou mandar uma mensagem para ele.

I'm going to send a message to him.

Talking About the Future (Ir + Infinitive)
8

Nós vamos pedir uma pizza hoje?

Are we going to order a pizza today?

Talking About the Future (Ir + Infinitive)

Tips & Tricks (4)

💡

The Pointing Rule

If you can point to it, use 'ali'. If you can't see it, use 'lá'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Here vs There: Aqui, Ali, Lá
💡

The 'Before' Rule

Always try to put the frequency word before the verb. It's the safest way to sound natural.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: How Often? (Always, Sometimes, Never)
💡

Keep it simple

Don't worry about the formal future tense yet. 'Ir + infinitive' is perfect for everything.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Future Tense: Using `ir + infinitive`
💡

Drop the pronoun

In Portuguese, you can often drop 'Eu' or 'Você' because the verb conjugation makes it clear.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Talking About the Future (Ir + Infinitive)

Key Vocabulary (8)

aqui here lá there (far away) sempre always nunca never amanhã tomorrow viajar to travel fazer to do / to make aí there (near you)

Real-World Preview

sun

Meeting at the Park

Review Summary

  • [Subject] + estar + [aqui/aí/ali/lá]
  • [Subject] + [Adverb] + [Verb]
  • ir (conjugated) + infinitive

Common Mistakes

After the verb 'ir', the second verb must be in the infinitive (ending in -ar, -er, or -ir), not conjugated.

Wrong: Eu vou como pizza.
Correct: Eu vou comer pizza.

In Portuguese, frequency adverbs like 'sempre' and 'nunca' usually come before the verb.

Wrong: Eu bebo sempre café.
Correct: Eu sempre bebo café.

Don't stack location adverbs. Choose one based on distance: 'aqui' (close) or 'lá' (far).

Wrong: O livro está aqui lá.
Correct: O livro está lá.

Next Steps

You've just unlocked the ability to talk about the future! That's a huge milestone in any language journey. Keep practicing those 'ir' conjugations!

Write down 3 things you are going to do tomorrow morning.

Point at 5 objects in your room and name their location (aqui/lá).

Continue to: Identity and Personal States

Quick Practice (10)

Fix the sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Nós vai viajar.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Nós vamos viajar.
Nós requires 'vamos'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Future Tense: Using `ir + infinitive`

Choose the correct adverb.

Eu moro ___ (in a different city).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: lá
Use 'lá' for distant places.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Here vs There: Aqui, Ali, Lá

Fill in the blank.

O que tens ___ (near you)?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: aí
Use 'aí' for the listener's location.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Here vs There: Aqui, Ali, Lá

Fill in the correct form of 'ir'.

Eu ___ comer.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: vou
Eu takes 'vou'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Future Tense: Using `ir + infinitive`

Choose the correct adverb.

O carro está ___ (pointing to a car nearby).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ali
Use 'ali' for visible objects nearby.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Here vs There: Aqui, Ali, Lá

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eu sempre estudo.
Adverb before verb.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: How Often? (Always, Sometimes, Never)

Fill in the correct form of 'ir'.

Eu ___ estudar.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: vou
Eu matches vou.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Talking About the Future (Ir + Infinitive)

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eu vou comer
Ir + infinitive.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Talking About the Future (Ir + Infinitive)

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eu vou falar.
Infinitive is required.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Future Tense: Using `ir + infinitive`

Fill in the blank with the correct adverb.

Eu ___ estudo português.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: sempre
Sempre is a frequency adverb.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: How Often? (Always, Sometimes, Never)

Score: /10

Common Questions (6)

Yes, e.g., 'Eu estou aqui e você está ali.'
No, 'aí' is near the listener, 'ali' is near the speaker or visible.
In casual speech, yes, but it's not standard. Stick to 'before the verb' for better grammar.
In Portuguese, 'nunca' already contains the negative. Adding 'não' is like saying 'I don't never', which is redundant.
Yes, it works for any future time, just add a time marker like 'ano que vem'.
No, it is neutral and very common in daily life.
Previous Chapter
Describing and Comparing Things
Next Chapter
Identity and Personal States
Back to Roadmap