Breakdown of Vamos separar o papelão do plástico.
ir
to go (future auxiliary)
do
from the
o papelão
the cardboard
o plástico
the plastic
Questions & Answers about Vamos separar o papelão do plástico.
What does vamos mean here?
Here, vamos + infinitive means let’s ... in English.
So:
- Vamos separar = Let’s separate
Even though vamos literally comes from the verb ir (to go) and by itself means we go or we are going, in this structure it works like a suggestion or invitation:
- Vamos comer. = Let’s eat.
- Vamos sair. = Let’s go out.
So in this sentence, vamos separar is not mainly about movement; it is saying let’s do this.
Why is separar in the infinitive?
Because after vamos in this kind of suggestion, Portuguese uses the infinitive.
Pattern:
- Vamos + infinitive
Examples:
- Vamos estudar. = Let’s study.
- Vamos limpar a casa. = Let’s clean the house.
- Vamos separar o papelão do plástico. = Let’s separate the cardboard from the plastic.
This is very common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.
What does separar mean, and is it used like English separate?