Vou ligar-lhe amanhã para confirmar a reunião.

I am going to call him/her tomorrow to confirm the meeting.

Breakdown of Vou ligar-lhe amanhã para confirmar a reunião.

• ir: to go
• amanhã: tomorrow
• para: to
• a reunião: the meeting
• ligar: to call
• confirmar: to confirm
• lhe: you

Questions & Answers about Vou ligar-lhe amanhã para confirmar a reunião.

Why is there no eu in this sentence?

Because Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

Here, vou is the 1st person singular form of ir, so it already tells you the subject is I.
So:

• Vou ligar-lhe amanhã... = I’m going to call...
• Eu vou ligar-lhe amanhã... = also correct, but eu is only added for emphasis, contrast, or clarity

In everyday Portuguese, leaving out eu is very normal.

Why is vou ligar used instead of a single future form like ligarei?

Vou ligar is the structure ir + infinitive, and it is a very common way to talk about the future in both speech and everyday writing.

So:

• Vou ligar = I’m going to call / I will call
• Ligarei = I will call

Both are correct, but they do not feel exactly the same:

• vou ligar sounds more natural and common in everyday conversation
• ligarei can sound more formal, more written, or sometimes more definite

In this sentence, vou ligar is the most natural everyday choice.

What does lhe mean here?

Lhe is an unstressed indirect object pronoun. In this sentence, it means:

• to him
• to her
• to you (formal singular)

So ligar-lhe literally works like to call to him/her/you, even though in natural English we just say call him/her/you.

This is because in European Portuguese, ligar is commonly used as ligar a alguém = to call someone.

Why is lhe attached to the verb with a hyphen?

Because Portuguese object pronouns are often attached to the verb, especially in European Portuguese.

Here, the pronoun comes after the verb ligar, so it is written with a hyphen:

• ligar-lhe

This is called enclisis.

In European Portuguese, this is very normal in affirmative sentences.
So ligar-lhe is the standard written form, not two separate words.

Could I also say Vou-lhe ligar amanhã?

Yes. Vou-lhe ligar amanhã is also correct.

With structures like vou + infinitive, European Portuguese often allows the pronoun in two places:

• Vou ligar-lhe amanhã
• Vou-lhe ligar amanhã

Both are grammatical. The version in your sentence keeps the pronoun attached to the infinitive (ligar-lhe), which is very natural.

So a learner should recognize both.

How do I know whether lhe means him, her, or formal you?

You usually know from context.

By itself, lhe does not show gender, and it can also refer to a polite singular you. So:

• Vou ligar-lhe amanhã could mean
  
  • I’ll call him tomorrow
  • I’ll call her tomorrow
  • I’ll call you tomorrow (formal)

Portuguese often leaves this kind of thing to context.
If needed, speakers can make it clearer with names or other wording.

Why is it lhe and not o / a?

Because with this meaning of ligar, European Portuguese normally treats the person called as an indirect object, not a direct object.

That is why you get:

• ligar a alguém
• ligar-lhe

and not normally:

• ligá-lo / ligá-la for call him/her in this sense

So even though English says call someone directly, Portuguese uses a different structure.

Why not use para, as in ligar para alguém?

In European Portuguese, the most standard pattern is ligar a alguém.

So you commonly get:

• Vou ligar ao João
• Vou ligar-lhe

Using ligar para is much more associated with Brazilian Portuguese or feels less standard in Portugal in this meaning.

So for Portugal Portuguese, ligar-lhe is a very natural choice.

What does para confirmar mean grammatically?

Para confirmar expresses purpose. It means:

• to confirm
• in order to confirm

It answers the question why?

• Vou ligar-lhe amanhã = I’m going to call him/her/you tomorrow
• para confirmar a reunião = to confirm the meeting

So the full sentence says not just what the speaker will do, but also why.

Why is it a reunião and not just reunião?

Because Portuguese uses the definite article much more often than English.

Here, a reunião means the meeting — probably a specific meeting that both people already know about.

So:

• confirmar a reunião = confirm the meeting

If you said just confirmar reunião, it would sound more generic, less natural in ordinary speech, or a bit like note-taking/business shorthand.

Also, reunião is feminine, so the article is a.

Does amanhã have to be in that position?

No. Portuguese word order is fairly flexible, and amanhã can move.

For example:

• Vou ligar-lhe amanhã para confirmar a reunião.
• Amanhã vou ligar-lhe para confirmar a reunião.
• Vou-lhe ligar amanhã para confirmar a reunião.

These all work, but the emphasis changes slightly:

• putting amanhã earlier can emphasize the time
• keeping it after the verb sounds very natural and neutral

So the sentence you were given is just one natural option.

How is lhe pronounced?

The key sound is lh, which is a Portuguese sound that does not exist in the same way in English.

A useful approximation is the lli sound in some pronunciations of million, but Portuguese lh is its own sound.

So lhe is roughly like:

• lye or lyuh as a rough guide

In real European Portuguese speech, it is usually very short and unstressed.

The important thing is that lh is pronounced as one sound, not as separate l + h.