Breakdown of Nós vamos falar do filme depois do jantar.
Questions & Answers about Nós vamos falar do filme depois do jantar.
Can I leave out nós here?
Yes. In Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.
So:
- Nós vamos falar do filme depois do jantar.
- Vamos falar do filme depois do jantar.
Both mean the same thing: We’re going to talk about the film after dinner.
Including nós can add:
- emphasis,
- contrast,
- or clarity.
For example, if you want to stress we rather than someone else, nós is useful.
Why does Portuguese use vamos falar here? Doesn’t that literally mean we go to speak?
Literally, yes, vamos falar is we go to speak, but in real Portuguese it works like the English future expression we are going to talk.
This is a very common way to talk about the future:
- vou falar = I’m going to talk
- vais falar = you’re going to talk
- vamos falar = we’re going to talk
In everyday speech, this structure is extremely common in both Portugal and Brazil.
So in this sentence, vamos falar is just a normal future form.
Could I say Falaremos do filme depois do jantar instead?
Yes, absolutely.
- Vamos falar do filme depois do jantar.
- Falaremos do filme depois do jantar.
Both are correct.
The difference is mainly style and tone:
- vamos falar sounds more natural and conversational in everyday speech
- falaremos sounds a bit more formal, more written, or sometimes more definite
A learner will hear ir + infinitive very often in normal conversation.
Why is it do filme and not just filme?
Because do is a contraction of:
- de + o = do
The verb falar often takes de when it means to talk about:
- falar de algo = to talk about something
So:
- falar de o filme becomes falar do filme
This contraction is required. You do not say de o filme.
Other common contractions:
- de + a = da
- de + os = dos
- de + as = das
Examples:
- Falamos da música.
- Falamos dos livros.
What’s the difference between falar do filme and falar sobre o filme?
Both can mean to talk about the film.
In many situations, they are interchangeable:
- falar do filme
- falar sobre o filme
But there is a slight nuance:
- falar de/do is very common and neutral
- falar sobre can sound a bit more explicit, like speak about / discuss
In everyday Portuguese, falar do filme is perfectly natural.
Why is there another do in depois do jantar?
Is jantar here a verb or a noun?
Here, jantar is a noun and means dinner.
So:
- o jantar = dinner
But jantar can also be a verb:
- jantar = to have dinner / to eat dinner
Examples:
- Depois do jantar = after dinner
- Depois de jantar = after having dinner / after eating dinner
Both are possible, but they are not exactly the same structure:
- depois do jantar focuses on the meal as a noun
- depois de jantar uses the verb
In your sentence, depois do jantar is very natural.
Why is there an article in do filme and do jantar? English often says just about films or after dinner.
Portuguese uses definite articles more often than English does.
So where English might say:
- after dinner
- about the film
Portuguese often says:
- depois do jantar
- do filme
This is normal and idiomatic. You should not try to match English article use too closely.
In other words, Portuguese often prefers:
- o filme
- o jantar where English may use no article at all.
Can the word order change? For example, can I say Depois do jantar, nós vamos falar do filme?
Yes. That is completely correct.
Portuguese word order is fairly flexible, especially with time expressions like depois do jantar.
All of these are natural:
- Nós vamos falar do filme depois do jantar.
- Vamos falar do filme depois do jantar.
- Depois do jantar, vamos falar do filme.
- Depois do jantar, nós vamos falar do filme.
Putting depois do jantar first gives it more emphasis, like After dinner, we’re going to talk about the film.
How is vamos pronounced in Portugal?
In European Portuguese, vamos is usually pronounced approximately like VAH-moosh, though that spelling is only a rough guide.
A few useful points:
- the final -s in vamos sounds like sh in European Portuguese
- unstressed vowels are often reduced, so words sound less fully pronounced than in English or in Brazilian Portuguese
So:
- vamos often sounds close to vâmo(sh)
This reduced pronunciation is very typical of Portuguese from Portugal.
How is the full sentence likely to sound in European Portuguese?
In careful European Portuguese, it will sound roughly like:
NÓJ vâmo(sh) falar du filme d’poish du jantar
That is only an approximation for an English speaker, but it highlights some important features:
- nós may sound more like nójsh / nój
- vamos has a reduced vowel
- do sounds like du
- depois often sounds like d’poish
- final s often sounds like sh
European Portuguese tends to compress unstressed syllables, so learners often find it harder to hear than they expect from the spelling.
Is filme the normal word for film/movie in Portugal?
What part of the sentence shows that the action is in the future?
The future meaning comes from vamos falar.
The structure is:
- ir in the present tense + infinitive
Here:
- vamos = present of ir for nós
- falar = infinitive
Together:
- vamos falar = we are going to talk
So even though vamos is present tense by itself, the whole expression refers to the future.
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