Eu já comprei remédios na farmácia antes, mas hoje vou procurar algo diferente.

I have already bought medicine at the pharmacy before, but today I will look for something different.

Breakdown of Eu já comprei remédios na farmácia antes, mas hoje vou procurar algo diferente.

• eu: I
• hoje: today
• comprar: to buy
• mas: but
• ir: to go
• antes: before
• a farmácia: the pharmacy
• já: already
• remédio: medicine
• procurar: to look for
• algo: something
• diferente: different

Questions & Answers about Eu já comprei remédios na farmácia antes, mas hoje vou procurar algo diferente.

Why is the word já used together with antes in this sentence?

The word já in Portuguese often emphasizes that an action has occurred at some unspecified point in the past, similar to already in English. Although antes also indicates a past context, using both já and antes puts extra emphasis on the fact that the speaker has previously done this action before. In more casual speech, you might drop antes, but keeping both is perfectly acceptable to stress the idea of having done it already at some point in the past.

Why do we say remédios instead of medicamentos or drogas?

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, remédios typically refers to any kind of medicine you buy at a pharmacy to treat common ailments. Medicamentos is often used in more formal contexts or official documents, while drogas can include things like illegal drugs, so it’s not usually the best word to describe ordinary medicine you purchase over the counter.

Is there a difference between saying na farmácia and em uma farmácia?

The phrase na farmácia combines em + a into na, meaning at the pharmacy. It implies a specific or known pharmacy in the context. Em uma farmácia means in a pharmacy or in some pharmacy, suggesting a less specific location. In most everyday situations, na farmácia is used by default as a general reference to the pharmacy when it’s clear which one you mean.

Could I replace procurar with buscar in hoje vou procurar algo diferente?

Yes, you could say hoje vou buscar algo diferente, but there is a slight nuance. Procurar often emphasizes the act of searching or looking for something, while buscar can imply fetching or going to get something. In everyday speech, procurar is quite common when you’re not exactly sure what you’ll find, but both verbs can be understood similarly in this context.

Why is vou procurar used in the present tense if it’s referring to a future action?

In Portuguese, using ir (in the present) + [infinitive verb] is one of the most common ways to express the near future, similar to I am going to look for in English. It’s perfectly standard and conveys your intention without needing the formal future tense (like procurarei), which often sounds more formal or literary in everyday speech.