Vamos resolver esse problema antes que ele fique maior.

In this sentence, vamos resolver most naturally means let’s solve.

Grammatically, it is vamos + infinitive (resolver). That structure can mean different things depending on context:

• Let’s solve = a suggestion or proposal that includes the listener
• We’re going to solve = a future action

Here, because the speaker is encouraging action right now, the sense is let’s solve this problem.

Because resolvemos is not the same kind of expression.

• resolvemos = we solve or we solved, depending on context
• vamos resolver = let’s solve / we’re going to solve

So resolvemos esse problema... would sound like a statement of fact, not a suggestion.

If you want a direct let’s... form, Portuguese often uses vamos + infinitive. There is also a more formal alternative:

• Resolvamos esse problema...

But in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, vamos resolver is much more common.

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, esse is very commonly used where English would say either this or that, depending on context.

Traditional grammar often teaches a distinction like this:

• este = this, near the speaker
• esse = that, near the listener or already mentioned
• aquele = that over there

But in real spoken Brazilian Portuguese, esse often takes over the job of both this and that. So esse problema sounds very natural.

Using este problema is possible, but it can sound more formal, more careful, or more tied to textbook distinctions.

Because problema is one of the masculine nouns that come from Greek and end in -ma.

So it is:

• o problema
• esse problema
• ele

Other common examples are:

• o sistema
• o tema
• o programa
• o idioma

So even though the ending -a often suggests a feminine noun, problema is masculine.

Yes, problema has already been mentioned, but ele helps make the subject of the second clause clear.

The sentence has two parts:

• Vamos resolver esse problema → subject = we
• antes que ele fique maior → subject = it / the problem

Without ele, the second part would be less clear, because the subject changes from we to the problem.

So ele is useful because it clearly shows that the problem is what might get bigger.

Because antes que is used before a clause with a conjugated verb, while antes de is usually used before an infinitive.

Here you have a full clause:

• ele fique maior

That clause has:

• a subject: ele
• a conjugated verb: fique

So antes que is the standard choice.

Compare:

• antes que ele fique maior = before it gets bigger
• antes de sair = before leaving / before I leave / before you leave depending on context

A learner may also hear colloquial Brazilian Portuguese like:

• antes dele ficar maior

That exists in speech, but antes que ele fique maior is the cleaner standard structure.

Because antes que normally requires the subjunctive.

So after antes que, Portuguese uses a subjunctive verb form to talk about something that has not happened yet and is being anticipated.

• ficar = infinitive
• ele fica = present indicative
• ele fique = present subjunctive

Since the sentence is talking about a possible future development, Portuguese says:

• antes que ele fique maior

Not:

• antes que ele fica maior

The second version sounds ungrammatical in standard Portuguese.

Fique is the present subjunctive form of the verb ficar for ele/ela/você.

Here is the present subjunctive of ficar:

• que eu fique
• que você/ele/ela fique
• que nós fiquemos
• que vocês/eles/elas fiquem

So in the sentence:

• antes que ele fique maior

the verb is ficar, and fique matches the subject ele.

No. Here ficar means to become or to get.

Ficar is a very common Portuguese verb with several meanings, including:

• to stay
• to remain
• to become / to get

In this sentence, ficar maior means:

• to get bigger
• to become larger
• figuratively, to become a bigger problem

So the idea is not before it stays bigger, but before it gets bigger.

Because maior is the normal comparative form of grande.

Just like English uses bigger instead of more big, Portuguese usually uses:

• grande = big
• maior = bigger

So:

• ficar maior = get bigger

Mais grande is generally not the normal standard choice here. In most everyday situations, maior is what you want.

It can absolutely be figurative.

With problema, maior often means:

• more serious
• worse
• harder to solve
• more complicated

So the sentence may suggest not just physical size, but the idea that the problem could grow or escalate.

That kind of figurative use is very common in Portuguese, just as in English.

Yes. That is a very natural English rendering.

Even though resolver literally means solve and maior literally means bigger, the sentence can sound more natural in English as:

• Let’s deal with this problem before it gets worse.
• Let’s solve this problem before it becomes bigger.
• Let’s fix this problem before it grows.

The best translation depends on tone and context, but the Portuguese structure is the same.

Yes, very natural.

It sounds like normal everyday Brazilian Portuguese because it uses several very common patterns:

• vamos + infinitive for a suggestion
• esse in a natural spoken way
• antes que + subjunctive
• ficar + adjective to mean become/get + adjective

So it is a very useful model sentence for learners.