The Near Future in Portuguese: Use Ir + an Infinitive
A practical way to talk about the future in Brazilian Portuguese is ir in the present plus an infinitive: vou viajar.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
For many everyday plans and predictions, Brazilian speakers use a present-tense form of ir followed directly by an infinitive. The verb ir changes to match the subject; the second verb stays in its dictionary form: eu vou trabalhar, você vai sair, a gente vai aprender.
Conjugate ir and keep the next verb in its infinitive
Do not add a between the two verbs in this pattern. Say vou estudar, not vou a estudar. The infinitive names the action, while vou or vai carries the subject and future meaning.
Vou ligar para a minha irmã depois.
I’m going to call my sister later.
A gente vai conhecer Salvador nas férias.
We’re going to visit Salvador during vacation.
Eles vão chegar antes do almoço.
They’re going to arrive before lunch.
Add a time phrase to make a plan clear
A time expression such as amanhã, depois do trabalho, or no mês que vem tells the listener when the plan fits. Without a time phrase, context often does the job: vou pegar um café can mean ‘I’m going to get a coffee’ when you are deciding what to do next.
Portuguese also has a synthetic future such as viajarei. It is useful to recognize, especially in writing and formal speech, but ir + infinitive is an essential everyday pattern in Brazil. Do not assume every English ‘will’ must be translated with one single Portuguese tense.
Você vai trabalhar amanhã?
Are you going to work tomorrow?
O mercado vai fechar às nove.
The market is going to close at nine.
Ainda não sei o que vou fazer no fim de semana.
I still don’t know what I’m going to do this weekend.
Put it into practice
Use vou, vai, vamos, or vão + an infinitive for a natural everyday future: vou sair, vamos pedir, eles vão voltar.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I’m going to call my sister later”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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