Eu vou falar com o advogado.

Questions & Answers about Eu vou falar com o advogado.

Why is vou falar used instead of a single future-tense verb?

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

  • vou = I go / I am going
  • falar = to speak / to talk

So eu vou falar literally looks like I am going to speak, but in everyday Portuguese it often simply means I will speak.

You could also say falarei, which is the simple future form, but that sounds more formal, written, or less common in everyday conversation.


Can I leave out Eu?

Yes. Very often, you can simply say:

Vou falar com o advogado.

Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear. Since vou clearly means I go / I will, eu is optional here.

Including eu can add emphasis, clarity, or contrast:

  • Eu vou falar com o advogado, não você.
    I’m going to speak with the lawyer, not you.

What exactly does com mean here?

Com means with.

So:

  • falar com alguém = to speak with someone / to talk to someone

In Portuguese, falar com is the normal expression for talking to someone.

Examples:

  • Vou falar com ela. = I’m going to talk to her.
  • Preciso falar com você. = I need to talk to you.

Why is it o advogado and not just advogado?

Portuguese uses definite articles much more often than English.

So o advogado literally means the lawyer, but in many contexts Portuguese uses the article where English might or might not use one.

In this sentence, o advogado usually refers to a specific lawyer already known from the context.

  • Vou falar com o advogado. = I’m going to talk to the lawyer.

If you said um advogado, that would mean a lawyer, usually a non-specific one.

  • Vou falar com um advogado. = I’m going to talk to a lawyer.

Does advogado only mean a male lawyer?

Yes, advogado is grammatically masculine and normally refers to a male lawyer.

For a female lawyer, you would usually say:

  • a advogada

So:

  • Vou falar com o advogado. = I’m going to talk to the male lawyer.
  • Vou falar com a advogada. = I’m going to talk to the female lawyer.

If the person’s gender is unknown or if you are just using the default masculine form, o advogado may appear, but in real-life reference it usually points to a man.


How do I pronounce vou falar com o advogado?

A simple approximate pronunciation for an English speaker is:

eh-oo voh fah-LAR koh moo ahd-voh-GAH-doo

A few notes:

  • vou sounds roughly like voh with a slight w glide
  • falar has stress on the last syllable: fa-LAR
  • com o in natural speech often connects and may sound like como or komu, but it still means with the
  • advogado has stress on ga: ad-vo-GA-do

Brazilian pronunciation varies by region, but this is a useful starting point.


Is there a contraction between com and o?

No standard written contraction is used here.

So you write:

com o

not a single merged written form.

However, in speech, com o often sounds connected and reduced, especially in Brazil. It may sound a bit like como or komu in fast speech. That is only a pronunciation effect, not a spelling change.


What is the difference between falar com and falar a / falar para?

Good question. These forms can overlap, but here is a useful basic distinction:

  • falar com alguém = to talk with / to speak to someone
  • falar para alguém = to say something to someone / to speak to someone, often more directional
  • falar a alguém exists, but in Brazilian Portuguese it is less common in everyday speech and can sound more formal or less natural in many contexts

For everyday Brazilian Portuguese, falar com is one of the safest and most natural choices when you mean you are going to talk to someone.


Why is the verb falar in the infinitive form?

Because after vou in this future construction, Portuguese uses the infinitive.

Pattern:

  • ir (conjugated) + infinitive

Examples:

  • vou falar = I will speak
  • vai chegar = he/she is going to arrive
  • vamos sair = we are going to leave

So falar stays in the infinitive because vou is the part that changes for the subject.


Could this sentence mean both I will speak with the lawyer and I am going to speak with the lawyer?

Yes. In many contexts, eu vou falar com o advogado can correspond to both English ideas:

  • I will speak with the lawyer
  • I’m going to speak with the lawyer

Portuguese does not always separate those two shades of meaning as sharply as English does. The exact nuance depends on context, tone, and situation.


What are the parts of the sentence grammatically?

Here is the breakdown:

So the structure is:

subject + ir (conjugated) + infinitive + prepositional phrase

That pattern is extremely common in Brazilian Portuguese.


How would I change this sentence to other people, like you or we?

You keep falar the same and change ir:

  • Eu vou falar com o advogado. = I’m going to talk to the lawyer.
  • Você vai falar com o advogado. = You’re going to talk to the lawyer.
  • Ele vai falar com o advogado. = He’s going to talk to the lawyer.
  • Ela vai falar com o advogado. = She’s going to talk to the lawyer.
  • Nós vamos falar com o advogado. = We’re going to talk to the lawyer.
  • Eles vão falar com o advogado. = They’re going to talk to the lawyer.

This is a very useful pattern to memorize: ir + infinitive


Is falar more like to speak or to talk?

It can mean both, depending on context.

  • falar can be to speak
  • falar can also be to talk

In this sentence, English might naturally use either one:

  • I’m going to speak with the lawyer.
  • I’m going to talk to the lawyer.

Both are good translations. Portuguese falar covers both ideas very often.

AI Language TutorTry it ↗
Your avatar
“What's the best way to learn Portuguese grammar?”
Portuguese grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Portuguese

Master Portuguese — from Eu vou falar com o advogado to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions