Breakdown of Eu vou ao consultório amanhã de manhã.
eu
I
ir
to go
a manhã
the morning
amanhã
tomorrow
o consultório
the doctor’s office
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Questions & Answers about Eu vou ao consultório amanhã de manhã.
What does the bold ao mean in vou ao consultório?
- ao is the contraction of a + o = to + the (masculine singular). So vou ao consultório = “I’m going to the doctor’s office.”
- Other common contractions:
- a + os = aos (to the, masculine plural)
- a + a = à (to the, feminine singular)
- a + as = às (to the, feminine plural)
Why is the present tense vou used to talk about the future?
In European Portuguese, the present of ir is often used for near or planned future actions. Eu vou ao consultório amanhã de manhã sounds natural and is the most common way to say “I’m going tomorrow morning.” The simple future (irei) is possible but more formal or emphatic.
Can I drop the subject and just say Vou ao consultório amanhã de manhã?
Yes. Portuguese is a “pro‑drop” language. Vou ao consultório… is perfectly natural. Keeping Eu can add emphasis or contrast (e.g., Eu vou, mas ele não vai).
Is amanhã de manhã redundant? Could I just say amanhã or de manhã?
It isn’t redundant. Each part adds information:
- amanhã = tomorrow (no time of day)
- de manhã = in the morning (no day specified)
- amanhã de manhã = tomorrow morning
Can I say amanhã na manhã or à manhã?
No. Use de manhã or pela manhã. Na manhã is only used when followed by a specification, e.g., na manhã de sábado (on Saturday morning). À manhã is not used with this meaning.
What’s the difference between ao consultório, para o consultório, and no consultório?
- ao consultório (a + o): movement to a place, often for a short/targeted visit. Most idiomatic here.
- para o consultório: movement with a sense of heading there as a destination (often neutral or implying you’ll stay there for a while). Acceptable but less typical for a quick visit.
- no consultório (em + o): location at the place. Use with verbs like estar: Estou no consultório (I’m at the office).
What exactly does consultório mean? Is it the same as “clinic” or “hospital”?
- consultório: a doctor’s or dentist’s office (the room or small office where consultations happen).
- clínica: a clinic; often larger, with multiple services.
- hospital: hospital. So vou ao consultório = I’m going to the doctor’s/dentist’s office (not to a whole clinic or hospital).
What article and gender does consultório take?
- consultório is masculine singular: o consultório.
- Hence ao consultório (to the office), no consultório (at the office), do consultório (from/of the office).
- If you switched to a feminine noun, you’d see à: e.g., à clínica (to the clinic).
How would I say “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning”?
- Most natural: Tenho consulta amanhã de manhã.
- You can also add the article: Tenho uma consulta amanhã de manhã.
- With a time: Tenho consulta amanhã de manhã às 9.
Could I say Vou ao médico instead? Does it sound natural?
Yes, very natural. Vou ao médico amanhã de manhã is common and often what people say. It highlights the person (the doctor) rather than the place (consultório).
How do I pronounce the whole sentence in European Portuguese?
- Approximate IPA: [ew vo aw kõsuɫˈtɔɾju ɐ.mɐ.ˈɲɐ̃ dɨ mɐ.ˈɲɐ̃]
- Tips:
- Eu = [ew]
- vou = [vo]
- ao = [aw]
- consultório = [kõsuɫˈtɔɾju] (stress on tó; single r between vowels = tapped [ɾ])
- amanhã = [ɐ.mɐ.ˈɲɐ̃] (nh = palatal ñ-sound)
- de (EP) = [dɨ]
- manhã = [mɐ.ˈɲɐ̃]
Where does não go to make it negative?
Before the verb:
- Eu não vou ao consultório amanhã de manhã. You can also front the time expression:
- Amanhã de manhã não vou ao consultório.
How would I ask “Are you going to the doctor’s office tomorrow morning?” in European Portuguese?
- With tu (informal): Vais ao consultório amanhã de manhã?
- With você (more formal/distant): Vai ao consultório amanhã de manhã?
- You can also front the time: Amanhã de manhã vais ao consultório?
Can the time expression move? Is Amanhã de manhã vou ao consultório correct?
Yes. Time expressions are flexible:
- Amanhã de manhã vou ao consultório.
- Vou ao consultório amanhã de manhã. When fronted, a comma is optional in writing: Amanhã de manhã, vou ao consultório.
When would I use irei instead of vou?
Irei ao consultório amanhã de manhã is correct but sounds more formal, distant, or resolute (e.g., promises, formal statements). In everyday speech, vou is preferred.
Is the tilde in amanhã and the accent in consultório important? What’s the difference between manhã and manha?
Yes—accents change meaning and pronunciation.
- manhã (with tilde) = morning.
- manha (no tilde) = cunning, petulance (a different word).
- consultório has the acute accent on tó to mark the stressed syllable and vowel quality.