Breakdown of Por agora, vamos ficar em casa e ver um filme.
um
a
ir
to go
a casa
the house
e
and
ver
to watch
o filme
the movie
em
at
ficar
to stay
por agora
for now
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Questions & Answers about Por agora, vamos ficar em casa e ver um filme.
What does Por agora actually mean, and are there other ways to say it in European Portuguese?
It means “for now/for the time being.” Common EP alternatives:
- para já (very common)
- por enquanto (fine, a bit more Brazilian-sounding but used)
- de momento (slightly formal)
- por ora (formal/literary) All suggest a temporary situation subject to change.
Do I need the comma after Por agora?
It’s optional. With fronted adverbials like Por agora, a comma is common for clarity: Por agora, vamos… Without it (Por agora vamos…) is also correct; meaning doesn’t change.
Is vamos ficar “let’s stay” or “we’re going to stay”?
Both. Vamos + infinitive can mean:
- a suggestion (hortative): “let’s…”
- a near‑future plan: “we’re going to…” Context and intonation do the work. As a suggestion, you can even say: Vamos ficar em casa e ver um filme?
What’s the explicitly “correct” imperative for “let’s stay”?
The grammatical 1st‑person plural imperative is Fiquemos em casa e vejamos um filme. It sounds formal or literary in modern speech. Everyday Portuguese strongly prefers Vamos ficar / vamos ver.
Why is it em casa and not na casa, a casa, or para casa?
- em casa = at home (idiomatic, no article)
- na casa = in/at the house (a specific house; article required)
- para casa = to home/homeward (movement) Since ficar means “to stay/remain,” you want location, so em casa is the right choice.
Could I say ficar em casa a ver um filme instead of … e ver um filme?
Yes. Ficar a + infinitive means “stay (there) doing X.”
- ficar em casa e ver… lists two actions.
- ficar em casa a ver… emphasizes watching as the activity while you stay in.
Why ver um filme and not assistir a um filme?
In Portugal, ver is the natural verb for “watch” (films, TV, videos). Assistir a tends to mean “attend” or sounds formal for this context. In Brazil, assistir (a) um filme is common. If you use assistir in EP, keep the preposition: assistir a um filme.
Do I need to repeat vamos before the second verb?
No. Vamos ficar … e ver … is standard; the second infinitive shares the same vamos. You can repeat it (… e vamos ver …) for emphasis or rhythm, but it isn’t required.
Can I include the pronoun and say Nós vamos ficar…?
Yes. Subject pronouns are optional because the -mos ending already marks nós. Adding Nós can add emphasis or clarity, but it’s usually omitted in casual speech.
Could I use estar instead of ficar?
They differ:
- ficar = stay/remain (a decision not to go out)
- estar = be (located) Vamos estar em casa means “we will be at home (for a period),” not a suggestion to stay in. For “let’s stay,” use ficar.
Why um filme and not o filme or no article?
- um filme = an unspecified movie
- o filme = a specific one you both know You can’t omit the article here, so choose um vs o based on how specific you’re being.
Any pronunciation tips for European Portuguese in this sentence?
- Rough EP: [puɾ ɐˈɡɔɾɐ, ˈvɐ.muʃ fiˈkaɾ ẽ ˈkazɐ i veɾ ũ ˈfiɫ.mɨ]
- Final -s in vamos before a consonant sounds like “sh”: vamos ficar → [vɐmuʃ fiˈkaɾ].
- em is nasal: em casa [ẽ ˈkazɐ].
- Final e in filme is a central vowel
- r in agora is a tap; in por many speakers use a stronger uvular sound.
Is there any risk of confusing por with pôr?
Here it’s por (preposition, no accent) in por agora. Pôr (with accent) is the verb “to put” and is unrelated in this sentence.
Are there very European-sounding alternatives to the whole sentence?
Yes:
- Para já, vamos ficar em casa e ver um filme.
- Por agora, vamos ficar por casa e ver um filme. (idiomatic: “stay around the house”)
- Vamos ficar em casa a ver um filme, para já.