Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu vou fazer a inscrição para o exame amanhã. - I am going to register for the exam tomorrow.

In European Portuguese, the “ir (present) + infinitive” structure (vou fazer) is the normal, everyday way to talk about the future, especially near or planned future.

Eu vou fazer a inscrição… = I am going to do the registration…
Farei a inscrição… is grammatically correct, but:
- sounds much more formal or literary;
- is less common in everyday speech in Portugal.

So “vou fazer” here is the natural, spoken choice; “farei” would sound more formal, like in written announcements or very careful speech.

Do we really need the “Eu” at the beginning? Can we just say “Vou fazer a inscrição…”?

You can absolutely drop “Eu”:

Vou fazer a inscrição para o exame amanhã. ✅ (very natural)
Eu vou fazer a inscrição para o exame amanhã. ✅

In Portuguese, the verb ending (vou) already shows who the subject is, so the pronoun is often omitted.

Using “Eu” tends to:

add emphasis: I (not someone else) will do it;
sound a bit more explicit/clear in isolation, e.g. answering a question:
- Quem vai fazer a inscrição?
  — Eu vou fazer a inscrição.

In most neutral contexts in Portugal, people would just say “Vou fazer a inscrição…”.

What does “fazer a inscrição” literally mean, and why use “fazer” here?

Literally, “fazer a inscrição” is “to do the registration”.

In natural English we just say “to register”, but in Portuguese it’s very common to use “fazer” as a light verb with nouns:

fazer a inscrição = to register / to sign up
fazer a matrícula = to enroll
fazer o pagamento = to make the payment
fazer a reserva = to make the reservation

So “fazer a inscrição” is a standard, idiomatic way to say “to register”. It doesn’t sound awkward in Portuguese the way “do the registration” would in English.

Could I say “inscrever-me no exame amanhã” instead of “fazer a inscrição para o exame amanhã”? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can, and both are normal in European Portuguese:

Eu vou fazer a inscrição para o exame amanhã.
Eu vou inscrever-me no exame amanhã.

Differences:

Verb vs. expression
- inscrever-se em/no = to register (oneself) for/in
- fazer a inscrição para = to do the registration for
Style / feel
- inscrever-me no exame sounds a bit more direct and slightly more formal/“standard”.
- fazer a inscrição para o exame is also correct and common, especially in practical, everyday contexts.
Grammar point
In European Portuguese with a compound verb (vou + infinitive + clitic), the most standard is:
- Vou inscrever-me no exame. (clitic -me attached to the infinitive)
  In Brazil, you’d normally hear:
- Vou me inscrever no exame.

In Portugal, both sentences are acceptable; choice is mostly style and habit.

Why is it “para o exame” and not “no exame” or just “para exame”?

Each option means something slightly different:

para o exame = for the exam
- focuses on the purpose of the registration: the registration is for that specific exam.
- fits very naturally after “a inscrição”:
  - a inscrição para o exame = the registration for the exam
no exame = in/on the exam (literally in the exam, from em + o)
- much more typical with “inscrever-se”:
  - inscrever-me no exame = to register for the exam
- you could also say “fazer a inscrição no exame”, but it suggests the registration happens at the place/time of the exam, which is less usual contextually.
para exame (without article)
- sounds incomplete or unusual here; you normally need the article:
  - para o exame (for the specific exam)

So in “fazer a inscrição para o exame”, “para o exame” is the most natural choice.

Why is it “a inscrição” (with the definite article) and not “uma inscrição”?

In Portuguese, we very often use the definite article with actions that are expected or specific in context, even if in English we don’t:

fazer a inscrição = to do the registration
fazer a matrícula = to do the enrollment
fazer o exame = to take the exam

Here, “a inscrição” refers to the specific registration needed for that exam. It is not generic; both speaker and listener know what kind of registration is meant.

You could say “uma inscrição”, but then you’re emphasising one registration among several possible ones, which doesn’t fit the usual context as well. The idiomatic expression is “fazer a inscrição”.

Can “amanhã” go at the beginning of the sentence, like “Amanhã vou fazer a inscrição para o exame”?

Yes, that’s perfectly natural, and very common:

Vou fazer a inscrição para o exame amanhã. ✅
Amanhã vou fazer a inscrição para o exame. ✅

Both mean the same. Moving “amanhã” to the front can:

give a bit more emphasis on the time (“Tomorrow, I’m going to…”);
sometimes sound a little more structured or formal.

There is no change of tense or meaning; just a difference in focus.

Is “para o” one word, like “paro”, or two separate words?

In standard European Portuguese, it is written as two separate words:

para o exame = for the exam
para a escola = to the school

So: “para” + space + “o”.

In informal Brazilian Portuguese, you will often see or hear “pro” (contraction of para o), but this is not standard writing in Portugal:

PT-PT standard: para o exame
BR informal: pro exame (colloquial, mostly spoken or very informal writing)

For formal or correct writing in European Portuguese, keep “para o” separated.

How would a Brazilian Portuguese speaker be more likely to say this?

A Brazilian might prefer slightly different wording and pronoun placement. Common BR options:

Eu vou me inscrever no exame amanhã.
Amanhã eu vou me inscrever no exame.

Differences from European Portuguese:

Pronoun position:
- PT-PT standard: vou inscrever-me
- PT-BR standard: vou me inscrever
Lexicon and style:
- fazer a inscrição is also used in Brazil, but “me inscrever” sounds very common and natural.
Both varieties use “no exame” with “inscrever(-se)”:
- inscrever-se no exame (PT-PT)
- me inscrever no exame (PT-BR)

Your original sentence is fully understandable in Brazil; it just sounds a bit more European in style.

Is this sentence formal, informal, or neutral? Could I use it in an email to a teacher?

The sentence is neutral and perfectly fine for most contexts, including an email to a teacher:

Eu vou fazer a inscrição para o exame amanhã.

If you wanted to sound a bit more formal or written, you might slightly adjust:

Amanhã farei a inscrição para o exame. (more formal due to “farei”)
Amanhã vou proceder à inscrição para o exame. (quite formal: proceder à inscrição)

But your original version is polite enough for normal emails, conversations with staff, friends, etc.

Could I say “Faço a inscrição para o exame amanhã” using the present tense? Would that be wrong?

It’s not wrong, but it sounds a bit less natural in many contexts.

In Portuguese, as in English, the present tense can be used for scheduled future events:

Amanhã faço a inscrição para o exame. = Tomorrow I (will) do the registration for the exam.

This sounds:

natural if you’re talking about a firm plan or timetable;
more likely with “amanhã” at the beginning:
- Amanhã faço a inscrição para o exame. ✅ (quite natural)
- Faço a inscrição para o exame amanhã. ✅ but can sound a little more abrupt.

Still, for learners and in most neutral contexts, “vou fazer” is the safest, most typical choice for future plans.

Does “inscrição” mean the same as English “inscription” (like words carved on a stone)?

Usually no. This is a classic false friend.

In modern Portuguese, “inscrição” most often means:

registration / enrollment / sign-up, e.g.:
- inscrição no exame = exam registration
- taxa de inscrição = registration fee

It can mean “inscription” in the sense of writing on a surface, but that’s less frequent and more context-dependent. In the sentence “fazer a inscrição para o exame”, it is definitely “registration”, not “inscription” on a plaque.