Questions & Answers about Ela vai abrir o livro.
What does the construction vai abrir indicate in this sentence?
The phrase vai abrir is a periphrastic future construction in Portuguese. It uses the present tense of ir (to go) – here, vai (she goes/is going) – combined with the infinitive abrir (to open) to express a future or imminent action. In English, it translates as “is going to open.”
Why is the verb abrir in its infinitive form rather than being conjugated?
In Portuguese, when using the future construction with ir, the structure is always the conjugated form of ir plus the main verb in its infinitive form. This means that after conjugating ir (in this case, vai), the following verb (here, abrir) remains in the infinitive. This construction clearly shows that the action is planned to occur in the future.
What is the role of the article o in o livro?
The article o is a definite article that means “the.” It agrees in gender and number with the noun livro (book), which is masculine and singular. Even though the subject ela is feminine, the article’s form depends solely on the noun it accompanies.
What is the difference between ela vai abrir o livro and ela abrirá o livro?
Both sentences express a future action, but they use different future constructions. Ela vai abrir o livro employs the periphrastic future (using ir + infinitive), which is common in everyday spoken Portuguese. Ela abrirá o livro uses the simple future tense, which tends to be more formal and is more often found in written texts. The choice between them depends on the level of formality and context.
How can this sentence be made negative?
To negate the sentence, simply insert não after the subject. The negative form becomes ela não vai abrir o livro, which translates to “she is not going to open the book.” The structure remains the same; only the addition of não changes the sentence’s meaning.
Does the subject ela agree with the verb vai in this sentence?
Yes, it does. Ela is the third person singular pronoun (feminine), and vai is the corresponding third person singular form of ir. This subject-verb agreement is essential in Portuguese grammar to ensure clarity and correctness in the sentence structure.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“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 PortugueseMaster Portuguese — from Ela vai abrir o livro to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ 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