Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Todos os amigos vão ao cinema hoje. - All the friends are going to the cinema today.

On its own, it does not automatically mean “all my friends”. It just refers to some group of friends that is clear from context (maybe friends we’ve been talking about).
If you want to say “all my friends”, you normally say “Todos os meus amigos”.
Compare:
- Todos os amigos vão ao cinema hoje. – All the friends are going to the cinema today.
- Todos os meus amigos vão ao cinema hoje. – All my friends are going to the cinema today.

Why do we need the article “os” in “todos os amigos”? Could I say “todos amigos”?

You normally need the definite article here.

“Todos os amigos” is the natural way to say “all the friends” (a specific group).
“Todos amigos” is not idiomatic in this context; it sounds wrong to native speakers.
If the subject is already clear, you might instead say just:
- “Todos vão ao cinema hoje.” – Everyone is going to the cinema today.
  Here todos stands alone and means “everyone” / “all of them”.
So: “todos + noun” usually wants an article in between: todos os amigos, todas as pessoas, todos os alunos, etc.

What is the difference between “todo/todos” and “tudo”?

They look similar but work differently.

todo / todos / toda / todas = “all / every” and agree with a noun:
- todos os amigos – all the friends
- todas as casas – all the houses
- todo o dia – the whole day
tudo = “everything” and does not take a noun after it:
- Tudo bem? – Everything OK? / How are you?
- Eu sei tudo. – I know everything.

So in this sentence, you must say “todos os amigos”, not “tudo amigos”.

What form of the verb is “vão”, and why not “vai”?

“Vão” is the 3rd person plural present tense of ir (“to go”).

eu vou – I go / am going
tu vais – you (singular informal) go
ele / ela vai – he / she goes
nós vamos – we go
vocês / eles / elas vão – you (plural) / they go

The subject here is “Todos os amigos” (they), so the verb must be plural: “vão”, not “vai”.

Why is the present tense “vão” used when it refers to later today? Why not a future tense like “irão”?

In Portuguese (especially European Portuguese), the present tense is very often used to talk about the near future, when the time is clear from context.

Todos os amigos vão ao cinema hoje.
= The friends are going to the cinema today. (later today, but already planned)
This is similar to English “are going” as a future plan.
The future tense “irão” exists:
- Todos os amigos irão ao cinema hoje.
  This is grammatically correct, but sounds more formal and often less natural in everyday speech.
So present + a time word (“hoje”, “amanhã”, “logo”) is the normal way to express many future plans.

What exactly is “ao” in “ao cinema”?

“Ao” is a contraction of the preposition “a” (“to”) and the masculine singular article “o” (“the”):

a + o = ao
So “ao cinema” literally = “to the cinema”.

Portuguese almost always uses this kind of contraction:

a + os = aos
de + o = do, em + o = no, etc.

Why do we say “ao cinema” and not “para o cinema”?

Both are grammatically possible, but “ir ao cinema” is the standard, idiomatic expression for “to go to the movies”.

Ir ao cinema = to go to the cinema / to go to the movies (to watch a film).
Ir para o cinema is unusual in this context; it might suggest going to work or stay at the cinema, or going there as a destination/place, not necessarily as the activity of watching a film.
So when you mean going to watch a film, use “ir ao cinema”.

What is the difference between “ao cinema” and “no cinema”?

They come from different prepositions and have different meanings:

ao cinema = a + o → to the cinema (movement, direction)
- Vou ao cinema. – I’m going to the cinema.
no cinema = em + o → in/at the cinema (location)
- Estou no cinema. – I’m at the cinema.

In European Portuguese, “ir ao cinema” is correct.
Expressions like “ir no cinema” are not standard in Portugal.

Could I change the word order of “hoje”? For example: “Hoje, todos os amigos vão ao cinema”?

Yes, you can change the position of “hoje”; the meaning stays essentially the same, with small changes of emphasis.

All of these are correct in European Portuguese:

Hoje, todos os amigos vão ao cinema. – Emphasis on “today”.
Todos os amigos vão ao cinema hoje. – Very neutral, common order.
Todos os amigos hoje vão ao cinema. – Also possible, with a slight emphasis on “today” in the middle.

So the placement of “hoje” is flexible, as long as the sentence remains clear and natural.

Why is it “todos os amigos” and not “todas os amigos”?

Because “amigos” is masculine plural, and “todo” must agree in gender and number with the noun.

masculine singular: todo o amigo (every friend, male or mixed/unspecified)
masculine plural: todos os amigos (all the friends)
feminine singular: toda a amiga (every [female] friend)
feminine plural: todas as amigas (all the [female] friends)

So with “amigos”, you must say “todos os amigos”.

In English I might say “go to the movies”. Does “ir ao cinema” mean the activity of watching a film, or just going to a building?

In European Portuguese, “ir ao cinema” normally means the activity of going to watch a film, just like English “go to the movies”.

It doesn’t just mean walking to the physical building; it strongly implies going to see a film.
Example:
- Eles vão ao cinema hoje. – They’re going to the movies today (to watch a film).

How do you pronounce “vão” and “cinema” in European Portuguese?

Approximate pronunciations (European Portuguese):

vão:
- Similar to English “vown” but with a nasal vowel.
- The “ão” is nasal, like in “não” or “pão”.
cinema:
- [see-NEH-ma]
- “ci” is like “see”, the stress is on “NE”: see-NEH-ma.

So the full sentence sounds roughly like:
“TO-dush oo-zh a-MEE-gush vãw ao see-NEH-ma HO-zh” (very approximate, with European-style sounds).