Quando vamos transplantar a planta?

In Brazilian Portuguese, ir + infinitive is a very common way to talk about the future.

• vamos transplantar = we are going to transplant
• A more formal or literary alternative would be transplantaremos

In everyday speech, vamos transplantar sounds natural and common.

By itself, vamos is the we form of ir and can mean we go or let’s go, depending on context. But in this sentence, because it is followed by an infinitive (transplantar), it forms a future expression:

• vamos transplantar = we are going to transplant

So here it is not just we go.

Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

• vamos already tells you the subject is we
• So Quando vamos transplantar a planta? is completely natural

You could say Quando nós vamos transplantar a planta?, but it is usually unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

English changes the order in questions:

• When are we going to transplant the plant?

Portuguese usually does not do that. The word order often stays the same as in a statement, and intonation or context shows it is a question.

So:

• Nós vamos transplantar a planta. = We are going to transplant the plant.
• Quando vamos transplantar a planta? = When are we going to transplant the plant?

This is normal Portuguese structure.

Quando means when.

It is a question word used to ask about time:

• Quando vamos transplantar a planta? = asking at what time / on what day / at what point we will transplant it

It works much like English when.

Transplantar means to transplant or to move a plant to a different place/container so it can continue growing.

It is a normal and correct word, especially in gardening contexts. In casual conversation, some people might also use related verbs depending on the situation, such as:

• replantar = replant
• plantar = plant

But if you specifically mean moving a plant from one pot or place to another, transplantar is a very good choice.

Here, a is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

• a planta = the plant

It is used because planta is a feminine noun in Portuguese.

So:

• o = masculine singular
• a = feminine singular

Examples:

• o vaso = the pot
• a planta = the plant

Because it comes directly before the noun planta.

• a planta = the plant

That structure is article + noun. An object pronoun a would replace a feminine noun instead of appearing before it.

So in this sentence, a can only be understood as the.

Portuguese nouns have grammatical gender. Planta is grammatically feminine, so it takes feminine articles and adjectives.

That is why you say:

• a planta
• a planta bonita

This grammatical gender does not mean the plant is biologically female. It is simply part of how the noun works in Portuguese.

Yes. Depending on context, the idea can be close to:

• When are we going to transplant the plant?
• When shall we transplant the plant?
• When should we transplant the plant? if the context is about planning

The literal structure is closest to When are we going to transplant the plant?, but in natural English the best translation may vary slightly with context.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

KWAN-doh VAH-mos trans-plan-TAR ah PLAN-tah

A few notes:

• qu in quando sounds like kw
• vamos has stress on the first syllable: VA-mos
• transplantar has stress on the last syllable: trans-plan-TAR
• planta has stress on PLAN

This is only an approximation for English speakers, but it is a useful start.

Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, a gente is very commonly used in place of nós in everyday speech.

So these are both natural:

• Quando vamos transplantar a planta?
• Quando a gente vai transplantar a planta?

They both mean essentially the same thing, but a gente is often more conversational.

Remember:

• nós vamos
• a gente vai

Yes, there is a difference.

• Quando vamos transplantar a planta? = When are we going to transplant the plant?
  This clearly points to the future.

• Quando transplantamos a planta? can mean When do we transplant the plant? or When did we transplant the plant?, depending on context.
  The simple present in Portuguese can be less explicit about time.

So vamos transplantar is clearer if you specifically want a future meaning.