Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): O senhor vai dirigir hoje ou prefere descansar? - Are you sir going to drive today, or do you prefer to rest?

O senhor is a formal way to address an adult man in Brazilian Portuguese, similar to sir. It signals respect or distance (customer service, speaking to an older person, etc.).
Informal alternatives:

Você vai dirigir hoje ou prefere descansar? (neutral/informal in most of Brazil)
Cê vai dirigir hoje ou prefere descansar? (very informal speech) For a woman, you’d use a senhora.

Why is there an article (o) before senhor? Isn’t that like saying “the sir”?

In Portuguese, senhor/senhora as a form of address commonly appears with the definite article: o senhor / a senhora. It’s just the normal grammar pattern and doesn’t sound like “the sir” in English.
In direct address you’ll also see Senhor, ... in more ceremonial contexts, but day-to-day polite speech often uses o senhor.

What does vai dirigir mean grammatically—present or future?

It’s the near-future construction: ir (present) + infinitive.
So o senhor vai dirigir literally “you are going to drive,” meaning “will you drive / are you going to drive (today)?” It usually refers to a planned or expected action in the near future.

Could I also say dirigirá instead of vai dirigir?

Yes, but it sounds more formal or written:

O senhor vai dirigir hoje...? = most natural in conversation
O senhor dirigirá hoje...? = more formal, less common in casual speech
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, ir + infinitive is extremely common.

Why is the second verb prefere in the present tense, not vai preferir?

In Portuguese, it’s very normal to use the present tense to ask about someone’s preference right now:

prefere descansar? = “do you prefer to rest?” (i.e., what’s your preference for today?)
You can say vai preferir descansar?, but it often sounds heavier or overly predictive. The present is the most natural for offering options.

Does prefere descansar mean “prefer resting” or “prefer to rest”? Why the infinitive descansar?

After preferir, Portuguese commonly uses an infinitive to express the action you prefer:

preferir + infinitive: prefere descansar = “prefers to rest”
You can also see prefere descansar hoje or prefere descansar um pouco (“rest a bit”).

Is dirigir definitely “to drive (a car)” here?

Usually yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, dirigir most commonly means to drive a vehicle. (It can also mean “to direct/manage” in other contexts, but with hoje and paired with descansar, “drive today” is the clear reading.)

Why is ou used, and does it imply only one choice?

ou means or. In questions like this, it typically presents two alternatives. In real conversation, it can still be flexible (the person can answer with a third option), but grammatically it frames it as a choice between: 1) dirigir hoje 2) descansar

Where can hoje go in the sentence? Does its position change meaning?

Hoje is flexible:

O senhor vai dirigir hoje ou prefere descansar? (very natural)
O senhor vai dirigir ou prefere descansar hoje? (also possible; “today” can scope more over the second option depending on emphasis)
Hoje o senhor vai dirigir ou prefere descansar? (emphasis on “today”)
Usually the meaning stays the same; the placement mainly changes emphasis and rhythm.

Is this sentence a polite question even without por favor?

Yes. The politeness mainly comes from o senhor and the structure offering a choice. Adding por favor makes it even more polite:

O senhor vai dirigir hoje ou prefere descansar, por favor? (common in service contexts)

How would I make it informal (talking to a friend)?

Common informal versions:

Você vai dirigir hoje ou prefere descansar?
Cê vai dirigir hoje ou prefere descansar? (spoken) In some regions where tu is used:
Tu vai dirigir hoje ou prefere descansar? (very common in Brazil even though some consider it nonstandard)
More “textbook”: Tu vais dirigir hoje ou preferes descansar?

How is o senhor treated grammatically—third person or second person?

Even though it means “you (sir),” it uses third-person verb forms:

o senhor vai, o senhor prefere (same verb forms as ele)
This is why you see vai and prefere, not vais / preferes (those would match tu).

What’s the pronunciation detail I should watch in senhor and dirigir (Brazil)?

Common Brazilian pronunciations:

senhor: roughly sen-YOR (the nh is like Spanish ñ; the final r is often a light h sound in many accents)
dirigir: jee-ree-JEER (final r often like a soft h; the middle g is like the s in “measure”)