Questions & Answers about Nós vamos à praça.
What tense is vamos, and does “Nós vamos à praça” mean “We are going to the square” as a future action?
Vamos is the present indicative form of ir (to go). In European Portuguese the present tense is often used for both current and near‐future actions. So “Nós vamos à praça” can mean “We go to the square” or “We are going (soon) to the square.”
What does the word à stand for in this sentence?
À is the contraction of the preposition a (to) + the feminine definite article a (the). Together à literally means “to the.”
Why does à carry a grave accent (à)?
When two identical vowels come together in a preposition + article contraction (a + a), Portuguese marks the fusion with a grave accent (
à) to show they’ve become one word.Can I say “Nós vamos a praça” without the accent or article?
No. In Portuguese you normally need the definite article before common place names, and when a + a occur you must contract them to à. The correct form is Nós vamos à praça.
How is praça pronounced, and what sound does the letter ç make?
In European Portuguese praça is pronounced [ˈpɾa.sɐ]. The ç (c-cedilha) always represents the /s/ sound before a, o, or u.
Can I drop nós and simply say “Vamos à praça”?
Yes. Subject pronouns are often omitted in Portuguese because the verb ending already tells you the person. Vamos à praça is perfectly natural.
Could I use para a praça instead of à praça? What’s the difference?
You could say Nós vamos para a praça (“We are going to the square”), and it’s grammatically correct. However, ir a is more idiomatic when indicating simple movement toward a place, while ir para slightly emphasizes the destination or purpose.
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