Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Vocês precisam chegar cedo hoje.

Vocês is the plural form of “you,” used when speaking to more than one person. Você is singular and is used for speaking to just one person. In Brazil, Vocês always refers to two or more people.

Why is PrecisaM used instead of Precisa?

The verb precisar must match the subject in number and person. Here, Vocês is a plural subject, so it takes the third-person plural form precisam. If it was Você, it would be você precisa.

How do I pronounce Vocês correctly?

You pronounce Vocês roughly as vo-SEHS, with a soft s sound at the end. Some Brazilian accents may have a slightly “sh”-like sound in the final s.

Do I need to use de after precisar here?

You only use de after precisar when there is a noun or pronoun that follows. For example, Vocês precisam de ajuda (“You need help”). However, when precisar is followed by a verb in the infinitive (like chegar), you skip de.

Is there a specific position for hoje in the sentence?

Hoje can appear in different positions in a sentence without changing the core meaning. For example, Hoje vocês precisam chegar cedo or Vocês precisam chegar cedo hoje are both correct. The placement of hoje can slightly shift emphasis, but both forms are natural in everyday speech.