Breakdown of Eu vou solicitar um documento hoje.
eu
I
hoje
today
ir
to go (future auxiliary)
solicitar um documento
to request an official document
Questions & Answers about Eu vou solicitar um documento hoje.
Why is eu included? Can I leave it out?
Yes, you often can leave eu out in Portuguese.
Portuguese verbs usually show who the subject is, so vou solicitar already implies I am going to request. Because of that, both of these are natural:
- Eu vou solicitar um documento hoje.
- Vou solicitar um documento hoje.
Including eu can make the subject clearer or more emphatic. For example, you might use it if you want to stress that I am the one doing it.
Why does Portuguese use vou solicitar instead of a single future verb?
Vou solicitar is a very common way to talk about the future in Brazilian Portuguese.
It uses:
- vou = I go / I am going
- solicitar = infinitive, to request
So the structure is:
This works a lot like going to + verb in English.
You could also say:
- Solicitarei um documento hoje.
That is the simple future, meaning I will request a document today. It is grammatically correct, but in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, vou solicitar is usually more natural in conversation.
What exactly does solicitar mean? Is it like the English word solicit?