The Easy Brazilian Future: Just Use Vou + a Verb

Future tense in Brazilian Portuguese sounds scary until you learn the shortcut that Brazilians actually use every day: take vou (“I’m going to”) and stick a verb on the end. That’s it. There’s a full, formal future tense in the grammar books, and you’ll meet it eventually, but almost nobody reaches for it in normal speech. This one pattern covers tomorrow, next week, and “in a second.” Here’s how it works, with examples and a beginner’s trap to watch for.

The whole trick: a form of “ir” plus an infinitive

You already know how English does this: “I’m going to eat,” “she’s going to call,” “we’re going to travel.” Portuguese works the same way. Take the verb ir (“to go”) in the present, then add a second verb in its dictionary form. That’s the infinitive, the one ending in -ar, -er, or -ir.

• Eu vou comer agora. (I’m going to eat now.)
• Ela vai ligar mais tarde. (She’s going to call later.)
• Nós vamos viajar no sábado. (We’re going to travel on Saturday.)

The second verb never changes. Comer stays comer, whoever’s doing the eating (you, her, or all of us). Only ir changes.

The forms you actually need

Here’s the whole set. Learn this column of ir and you’ve unlocked the future for every verb in the language.

Who	Form of ir	Example	English
eu	vou	Eu vou estudar.	I’m going to study.
você	vai	Você vai gostar.	You’re going to like it.
ele / ela	vai	Ele vai chegar cedo.	He’s going to arrive early.
nós	vamos	Nós vamos sair.	We’re going to go out.
a gente	vai	A gente vai comer fora.	We’re going to eat out.
eles / elas	vão	Elas vão dançar.	They’re going to dance.

Notice a gente (“we,” in casual speech) takes vai, the same form as ele. Brazilians say a gente vai far more than nós vamos in everyday talk. So, give that row some attention.

It also means “right now, in a second”

Here’s a bonus English doesn’t quite share this use: vou + verb often means the very near future, the thing you’re about to do this second.

• Vou pegar meu casaco. (I’ll grab my coat, said as you stand up.)
• Já vou! (I’m coming! / Be right there!)
• Vou pensar. (I’ll think about it.)

So the pattern isn’t only for calendars and plans. You can use it when the waiter asks and you need a beat: vou querer o de sempre (I’ll have the usual). And when you’re putting plans together with a friend, it fits alongside the phrases in how Brazilians make plans and invitations.

Making it negative and asking about it

Two more moves and you’re fully equipped. To say you’re not going to do something, put não before vou.

• Não vou trabalhar amanhã. (I’m not going to work tomorrow.)
• A gente não vai desistir. (We’re not going to give up.)

To ask, keep the words in the same order and let your voice rise at the end.

Você vai à festa?

Vou, sim!

Same words, different tone. This follows the pattern in how to ask questions in Brazilian Portuguese, where your voice does the work the word order does in English.

The trap: don’t stack two “ir” verbs

Here’s the one that trips almost everyone up. When the thing you’re going to do is go somewhere, it’s tempting to say vou ir (“I’m going to go”). It’s not technically wrong, but Brazilians rarely say it. It sounds heavy and redundant, like saying “I’m going to go go.” The natural move is to use ir just once and add the destination.

• Instead of vou ir na praia, say vou à praia or vou pra praia. (I’m going to the beach.)
• Instead of vou ir embora, say vou embora. (I’m heading off.)

When the main verb is already “go,” let vou carry it alone. Save the vou + infinitive combo for every other verb.

Learn one column of ir, and you’ve got the future of every verb in Portuguese.

The formal future, in one line

You’ll see forms like comerei, falará, viajaremos in books and news. That’s the “real” grammatical future, and it’s perfectly correct. But in day-to-day Brazil, though, it sounds bookish, and you can go a long time without ever needing to use it yourself. That said, don’t write it off entirely. In more formal or polished settings (a presentation, a written note, a job interview), the proper conjugation is the better choice, and using it in those moments keeps you from sounding too casual when the setting calls for something more formal. Recognize it when you read it, use it in formal settings. For everyday talk, keep speaking with vou. That preference for “learn what people actually say first” thinking that runs through the whole beginner’s roadmap.

The takeaway

The future in Brazilian Portuguese is one small pattern: a form of ir (vou, vai, vamos, vão) + a plain verb, and it covers everything from next year’s trip to “I’ll be right there.” Add não to make it negative, raise your tone at the end to ask, and don’t double up vou ir. Say the examples above out loud, then swap in your own plans so the sentences become yours. When you want a compact set of phrases to carry the moment you land, grab the free PDF below.