Vamos ao hospital.

Vamos is the 1st person plural form of the verb ir (to go) in the present tense.

So grammatically it is we go / we are going, but in real use it can also mean let's go, depending on context.

In this sentence, vamos could mean either:

• We’re going to the hospital
• Let’s go to the hospital

Portuguese often lets context decide which one is meant.

Because Portuguese uses the 1st person plural present tense for both a plain statement and an inclusive suggestion/command.

So:

• Nós vamos ao hospital. = We’re going to the hospital.
• Vamos ao hospital! = Let’s go to the hospital!

Usually the difference comes from:

• context
• intonation
• whether the speaker is announcing a plan or encouraging someone to go

This is very normal in Portuguese.

Because ao is a required contraction:

• a = to
• o = the
• a + o = ao

So ao hospital literally comes from to the hospital.

This kind of contraction is very common in Portuguese. For example:

• a + a = à
• a + os = aos
• a + as = às

So ao hospital is not optional spelling; it is the correct combined form.

Because hospital is normally used with the definite article o in Portuguese.

So Portuguese says:

• o hospital = the hospital

And after the preposition a, that becomes:

• ao hospital

English sometimes omits articles in places where Portuguese keeps them, so this is something learners often need to get used to.

Both can be correct.

• ir ao hospital
• ir para o hospital

In Brazilian Portuguese, both are used for going to the hospital.

A simple way to think about it:

• ir a can sound a bit more standard or neutral
• ir para is very common in everyday speech and can sound a little more direct as a destination

So:

• Vamos ao hospital = standard and correct
• Vamos para o hospital = also correct and very common
• In speech, para o often becomes pro, so you may hear Vamos pro hospital

Yes, they can, and it is completely correct.

But in casual Brazilian speech, many people would also say:

• Vamos para o hospital
• Vamos pro hospital

So Vamos ao hospital is natural and standard, but pro hospital is also extremely common in conversation.

Because Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already shows who the subject is.

Here, vamos already tells you the subject is we.

So both of these are possible:

• Vamos ao hospital.
• Nós vamos ao hospital.

The version without nós is very normal. Adding nós can give:

• extra emphasis
• contrast
• clarity, if needed

Formally, vamos is present tense.

But in Portuguese, just like in English, the present tense can talk about:

• what is happening now
• a near future plan
• a suggestion

So Vamos ao hospital may refer to:

• We’re going to the hospital
• We’re going to go to the hospital soon
• Let’s go to the hospital

If you wanted a more explicit future form, you could say:

• Iremos ao hospital = We will go to the hospital

But in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, vamos is often more natural.

You may hear that in Brazil, but traditionally, the more standard forms for movement are:

• Vamos ao hospital
• Vamos para o hospital

Why? Because no hospital literally means in the hospital / at the hospital:

• em + o = no

So:

• Estamos no hospital. = We are at/in the hospital.
• Vamos ao hospital. = We are going to the hospital.

In everyday spoken Brazilian Portuguese, some people do use ir no for movement, but if you are learning the standard form, ao hospital or para o hospital is better.

A few key points:

• The h is silent
• So hospital starts with an o sound, not an English h sound
• The stress is on the last syllable: hospiTAL

A rough English-friendly approximation would be:

• os-pee-TAU

And the whole sentence is roughly:

• VAH-mus ao os-pee-TAU

Also, ao sounds something like ow in English cow, but shorter and smoother.

Yes. In this sentence, hospital is masculine, which is why it takes o:

• o hospital

That is why a + o becomes ao.

If the noun were feminine, you would use a as the article, and the contraction would change:

• a + a = à

Example:

• Vamos à escola. = We’re going to the school / Let’s go to school

So the form of the contraction depends on the gender and number of the noun:

• ao = to the masculine singular noun
• à = to the feminine singular noun
• aos = to the masculine plural noun
• às = to the feminine plural noun