There are several different ways to talk about the future in Brazilian Portuguese:
Use the simple future tense
Use ir + infinitive verb
Use the simple present tense
Use a compound form with the present tense
The simple future tense is often used in formal situations to refer to plans and intentions, as in:
In everyday written and spoken language, however, we most often talk about the future by combining the present tense of with ir meaning to go with an infinitive, as in:
But there are also other ways to express the future, and we will talk about them in this post. Are you ready to start? Let’s go!
How to use the simple future tense in Brazilian Portuguese?
Use the simple future tense to speak formally about the future, much like you might use the future with “will” in English:
Below, you will see how to conjugate the verbs in the simple future tense and when to use it.
How to form the simple future in Brazilian Portuguese?
To form the simple future in Brazilian Portuguese, you will usually add the simple future tense endings to the infinitive form of the verb. Luckily, only three verbs are irregular in this tense!
Regular verbs
To conjugate regular verbs into the simple future tense, simply add the appropriate endings in the chart below to the infinitive form of the verb.
Subject Pronouns Ending falar meaning to speak comer meaning to eat abrir meaning to open eu meaning I-eifalareicomereiabrireitu meaning you-ásfalaráscomerásabrirásvocê meaning you, sg.ele meaning he, itela meaning she, it-áfalarácomeráabriránós meaning we-emosfalaremoscomeremosabriremosvós* meaning you, formal-eisfalareiscomereisabrireisvocês meaning you, pl.eles, elas meaning they-ãofalarãocomerãoabrirãoIrregular verbs
Only three verbs are irregular in the simple future: trazer meaning to bring, fazer meaning to do, to make, and dizer meaning to say, though the verbs that are derived from these three, like desfazer meaning to undo or desdizer meaning to unsay, will share their irregularity.
Luckily, the only thing that is irregular about these verbs is the stem to which we add the endings. These are trar-, far-, and dir-, rather than the full infinitive forms. Other than that, these verbs use the same simple future endings as the ones shown above.
Subject Pronouns trazer meaning to bring fazer meaning to do, to make dizer meaning to say eu meaning Itrareifareidireitu meaning youtrarásfarásdirásvocê meaning you, sg.ele meaning he, itela meaning she, ittraráfarádiránós meaning wetraremosfaremosdiremosvós* meaning you, formaltrareisfareisdireisvocês meaning you, pl.eles, elas meaning theytrarãofarãodirão
Where to put object pronouns in the simple future tense?
The most proper placement of an object pronoun in the simple future is between the stem and the ending.
Let’s take a look at the verb fazer meaning to do in the sentence below. Here, the stem is far- and the ending is -ei.
Here are the steps:
The stem far- loses the r and the vowel a receives a written accent: fá-
The object pronoun o that replaces o trabalho must be preceded accompanied by an l:lo
However, in everyday language, Brazilians tend to place the object pronoun before the verb or they even omit it altogether. This is not considered grammatically correct, but it is still common.
Farei assim que puder.
When to use the simple future tense in Brazilian Portuguese?
The simple future tense is formal, but it is used in many different circumstances to refer to both immediate or later future. Let’s take a look at when to use it:
To indicate certain or probable facts in the future
Os alunos terminarão o trabalho esta semana.Translation: The students will finish the work this week.In this case, the simple future tense can also be accompanied by an expression that indicates certainty, such as tenho certeza que… meaning I am sure that…:
Tenho certeza que choverá amanhã.Translation: I am certain that it will rain tomorrow.To express uncertainty or speculation about future facts
Eu não vi o Carlos hoje. Onde ele estaria?Translation: I haven’t seen Carlos today. Where could he be?You can add words, such as talvez meaning maybe, to show uncertainty or doubt.
Os alunos talvez terminarão o trabalho esta semana.Translation: The student will maybe finish the work this week.To express an opinion in a polite way
Eu direi que essa viagem está sendo muito boa.Translation: I will say that this trip has been very good.However, the use of the simple future tense is formal and rarely used in everyday written and spoken language. In informal written and spoken language, Brazilians prefer the conditional tense in this case:
conditional simpleEu diria que essa viagem está sendo muito boa.Translation: I would say that this trip has been very good.To express indirect requests or orders
Você entregará toda a pesquisa ainda hoje, ok?Translation: You will deliver all the research later today, ok?The use of the simple future tense here makes the sentence very formal. In everyday written and spoken language, we most often use the future with ir instead.
To show the probable future result of a condition being met
conditionsimple futureSe estudarmos português agora, conseguiremos nos comunicar melhor com as pessoas no Brasil.Translation: If we study Portuguese now, we will be able to communicate better with people in Brazil.
How use the future with ‘ir’ in Brazilian Portuguese?
In everyday written and spoken Brazilian Portuguese, it is very common to form the future tense by combining ir meaning to go in the simple present with the infinitive of the main verb.
simple present
infinitive
Here is how to conjugate ir in the simple present:
| Subject Pronouns | ir meaning to go |
|---|---|
eu meaning I | vou |
tu meaning you | vais |
você meaning you, sg.ele meaning he, itela meaning she, it | vai |
nós meaning we | vamos |
vós* meaning you, formal | ides |
vocês meaning you, pl.eles, elas meaning they | vão |
This form of the future is less formal than the simple future, but otherwise we use it in all the same ways that we can use the simple future.
To refer to certain facts or probable events in the future
simple presentinfinitiveTenho certeza que vai chover amanhã.Translation: I am certain that it will rain tomorrow.To express uncertainty about the future facts
simple presentinfinitiveOs alunos talvez vão terminar o trabalho esta semana.Translation: The student will maybe finish the work this week.Show indirect requests and orders
simple presentinfinitiveVocê vai entregar toda a pesquisa ainda hoje, ok?Translation: You will deliver all the research later today, ok?Express condition and show probability
simple presentinfinitiveSe estudarmos português agora, vamos conseguir nos comunicar melhor com as pessoas no Brasil.Translation: If we study Portuguese now, we will be able to communicate better with people in Brazil.
How to use the simple present tense to express the future in Brazilian Portuguese?
In Brazilian Portuguese, like in English, you can also use the simple present tense to discuss a scheduled event or something that will happen in the near future. Take a look at this example:
In this case, a time marker like daqui duas horas meaning in two hours is used to show when in the future this event will happen. Here are a few other time markers in Brazilian Portuguese that you can use to make it clear that you’re talking about the future:
amanhã meaning tomorrow
depois de amanhã meaning the day after tomorrow
na próxima semana meaning next week
na semana que vem meaning next week
dentro de 2 dias meaning in 2 days
brevemente meaning soon
em breve meaning soon
daqui a uma semana meaning in one week
para o ano que vem meaning for next year
How to use compound forms in the present tense to express the future?
In Brazilian Portuguese, the present tense compound verb forms haver de + infinitive, ter de + infinitive, and several expressions with estar meaning to be can be used to refer to the future. Let’s take a look at each.
‘Haver de’ + infinitive
The compound form with haver de + infinitive is used to talk about the intention of doing something. In this case, the verb haver works as an auxiliary conjugated in the simple present tense, and it is followed by the preposition de meaning of, for and the main verb in the infinitive form.
Here’s how to conjugate haver in the present tense:
| Subject Pronouns | haver meaning to be, to have, will |
|---|---|
eu meaning I | hei |
tu meaning you | hás |
você meaning you, sg.ele meaning he, itela meaning she, it | há |
nós meaning we | havemos |
vós* meaning you, formal | haveis |
vocês meaning you, pl.eles, elas meaning they | hão |
‘Ter de’ + infinitive
The compound form with ter de + infinitive is used to emphasize the need or obligation to do something in the future. The verb ter meaning to have is conjugated in the simple present tense and followed by the preposition de meaning of, for, and the main verb is in the infinitive form.
Expressions with ‘estar’
There are some compound expressions with estar meaning to be that can also be used to refer to the future. Let’s take a look at them:
Estar pensando em + infinitive:
Estar pensando em + infinitive is used to talk about plans or intentions in the future. In this case, the verb estar is conjugated in the simple present and the main verb is in the infinitive.
simple presentinfinitiveCarla está pensando em estudar português.Translation: Carla is thinking about studying Portuguese.Estar para + infinitive:
Estar para + infinitive is used to refer to something that is about to happen. Again, estar is conjugated in the simple present tense, with the main verb in the infinitive.
simple presentinfinitiveEstá para chover.Translation: It is about to rain.Estamos para chegar.Translation: We are about to arrive.Estar a ponto de + infinitive:
Estar a ponto de + infinitive is also used to refer to something that is about to happen in the future and can be used instead of estar para. In this case, a ponto de means “to be on the point of / on the verge of” + verb-ing.
simple presentinfinitiveEstá a ponto de chover.Translation: It is about to rain.Estamos a ponto de chegar.Translation: We are about to arrive.
Summary
In this post, we talked about the different forms for expressing the future in Brazilian Portuguese:
the simple future (more formal)
the future with ir (in everyday written and spoken language)
the simple present (for the near future or scheduled future)
Want to review it all? Check out this summary of all the ways to express the future in Brazilian Portuguese!
Now, it is time to practice what you read here with this activity to practice the future in Brazilian Portuguese.
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