B1 (Intermediate)Lesson 1: Past Habits & Future Plans
Understanding the difference between immediate future (ir + infinitive) and simple future tense.
Ir + infinitive: vou falar (I'm going to speak) - 90% of spoken usage
Simple future: falarei (I will speak) - formal/written
Ir + infinitive = immediate, planned, certain
Simple future = distant, formal, hypothetical
Only irregular futures: fazer, dizer, trazer
Colloquial often drops "ir" ("Fazer isso amanhã")
News/weather use simple future
Contracts/formal documents require simple future
Using "falarei" in casual conversation instantly marks you as foreign or overly formal – like wearing a tuxedo to the beach! Brazilians say "vou falar" for virtually everything future, from immediate plans ("Vou almoçar agora") to distant dreams ("Um dia vou morar na Europa"). The simple future survives in specific contexts like weather forecasts and legal documents. Master both to understand everything but use "ir + infinitive" to sound naturally Brazilian.
ir (present) + infinitive OR verb stem + future endings (-ei, -ás, -á, -emos, -ão)
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Present tense of IR:
eu vou
tu vais
ele/ela/você vai
nós vamos
eles/elas/vocês vão
Plus any infinitive:
"Vou almoçar fora hoje" (I'm going to have lunch out today)
"Você vai sair hoje à noite?" (Are you going out tonight?)
"Vamos assistir um filme?" (Shall we watch a movie?)
"Ela vai chegar atrasada de novo" (She's going to be late again)
"Vou te buscar às 8" (I'll pick you up at 8)
"Vamos marcar para semana que vem" (Let's schedule for next week)
"Eles vão viajar nas férias" (They're going to travel on vacation)
"Vai ser uma festa incrível!" (It's going to be an amazing party!)
Never "vou ir" except in:
Vou ir embora (I'm going to leave)
Vou ir andando (I'll go walking)
Fixed expressions only
Many verbs use present for future:
Caso amanhã (I'm getting married tomorrow)
Volto já (I'll be right back)
Passo aí depois (I'll stop by later)
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