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Questions & Answers about Eu vou ao mercado mais tarde.
What does eu mean in the sentence?
Eu is the first-person singular subject pronoun in Portuguese, and it means I.
Why is vou used here instead of a special future-tense form?
Vou is the first-person singular form of the verb ir, which literally means I go. In Portuguese, it is common to use the present tense with time expressions (like mais tarde) to indicate an action that will happen in the near future, rather than using a distinct future tense.
What does the contraction ao signify?
Ao is a contraction of the preposition a (meaning to) and the masculine singular definite article o (meaning the). Together, ao mercado translates as to the market.
What function does mais tarde serve in this sentence?
Mais tarde is an adverbial phrase that means later. It tells you that the action of going to the market will occur after the current moment, essentially indicating a future time.
How would you translate the complete sentence into English?
The sentence Eu vou ao mercado mais tarde. can be translated as I am going to the market later. The structure mirrors English closely, with a subject (I/Eu), a verb in a present form hinting at a near-future action (am going/vou), a destination (to the market/ao mercado), and a time indicator (later/mais tarde).