Meu cunhado vai me dar carona até o centro depois do almoço.

my

Breakdown of Meu cunhado vai me dar carona até o centro depois do almoço.

• ir: to go (future auxiliary)
• me: me
• depois de: after

Questions & Answers about Meu cunhado vai me dar carona até o centro depois do almoço.

Why is vai dar used here instead of a simple future form like dará?

Vai dar is the very common near future construction in Brazilian Portuguese:

• ir + infinitive
• vai dar = is going to give / will give

So:

• Meu cunhado vai me dar carona = My brother-in-law is going to give me a ride

Portuguese does have a simple future:

• Meu cunhado me dará carona

But in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, that sounds more formal or less conversational. Vai + infinitive is much more natural in normal speech.

What exactly does cunhado mean?

Cunhado means brother-in-law.

It can refer to:

• your spouse’s brother, or
• your sibling’s husband

The feminine form is cunhada = sister-in-law.

So meu cunhado is simply my brother-in-law.

What does dar carona mean? Is it a fixed expression?