Breakdown of Se a febre continuar, vamos à farmácia comprar um comprimido.
um
a
ir
to go
nós
we
comprar
to buy
se
if
continuar
to continue
a febre
the fever
a farmácia
the pharmacy
o comprimido
the pill
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Questions & Answers about Se a febre continuar, vamos à farmácia comprar um comprimido.
Why is Se a febre continuar using the infinitive continuar instead of a conjugated form?
Portuguese allows the use of the personal infinitive when the subject of that infinitive is explicit. Here, a febre is stated as the subject, so the infinitive continuar is perfectly valid. In everyday speech you might also hear:
- Se a febre continua… (present indicative, expressing a real condition)
- Se a febre continuar… (present subjunctive, more hypothetical or formal)
What does Se express in this sentence?
Se is the conjunction that introduces a conditional clause (protasis), equivalent to “if” in English. It sets up the condition under which the main action will happen.
Why is there an accent on à in vamos à farmácia? Could it be just a?
In Portuguese, we usually use the definite article with places: a farmácia. When the preposition a (to) meets the feminine article a, they contract into à. So
vamos a + a farmácia → vamos à farmácia.
What does the vamos comprar construction mean? Is it a tense?
Vamos + infinitive is the most common way to express the near future in Portuguese, very much like “we are going to buy” in English. Grammatically, it’s the present tense of ir (to go) followed by an infinitive.
Why is um used before comprimido? Could it be omitted?
Um comprimido means one tablet/pill. If you say comprar comprimidos, you mean buy some tablets (unspecified number). Using um specifies exactly a single pill.
What is the difference between comprimido and remédio?
Comprimido refers specifically to a pill or tablet. Remédio is a broader term for medicine or remedy, which can include pills, syrups, injections, etc.
Why is there a comma before vamos? Can I omit it?
When the if-clause (protasis) comes first, it’s standard in Portuguese to separate it from the main clause (apodosis) with a comma. In very short sentences you might see it dropped, but including the comma enhances clarity.
Could I replace vamos with iremos? What’s the nuance?
Yes. Iremos à farmácia comprar um comprimido uses the simple future tense iremos. It sounds more formal or literary, whereas vamos is more colloquial and common in everyday speech.
Why isn’t there a preposition between farmácia and comprar?
The verb comprar takes a direct object without any preposition: comprar um comprimido. Here à farmácia is linked to vamos (destination of “going”), not to comprar.
Where is the pronoun nós in vamos? Why don’t we say nós vamos?
Portuguese is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already indicates the subject. You can say nós vamos, but in everyday speech vamos alone is more natural.