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Portuguese (Portugal)

### Moving Towards or Away: *Ir* vs. *Vir*

When coordinating logistics, like meeting up for a book club, your choice of motion verb depends entirely on where the speaker is.

- **Vir** (to come) describes motion *towards* the speaker's current location (often paired with *aqui* or *cá* — here).
- **Ir** (to go) describes motion *away from* the speaker's current location, either to where the listener is (*aí*) or a third location entirely (*lá* or *ali*).

Crucially, in European Portuguese, you never say "I am coming to you." Because you are moving *away* from where you currently are, you must use **ir** (I am *going* to you).

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### Transporting Items: *Levar* vs. *Trazer*

The same spatial rules apply when you are moving objects instead of just yourself.

- **Trazer** (to bring) is for transporting something *towards* the speaker. It naturally pairs with *vir*.
- **Levar** (to take) is for transporting something *away from* the speaker to another place. It naturally pairs with *ir*.

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### Coordinating the Details

Notice how these pairs act as mirror images depending on who is talking and where everyone is meeting.

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Motion and transport verbs (ir, vir, levar, trazer)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prefix

prep

preposition

pron

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstratives and the verb to be (isto é, o, a)

Subject pronouns and negation (eu, não)

Yes/no questions and question words (quem, o que)

Plural pronouns, articles, and verbs (somos, são, os, as)

Origin and possession (de, do, da)

Introductions (chamar-se)

Indefinite articles (um, uma, uns, umas)

The verb to be for locations (estar)

Contrasting the two verbs to be (ser vs. estar)

Preposition for locations (em, no, na)

Numbers 0 to 10 (zero, um, dois)

The verb to have (tenho, tem)

Regular -ar verbs (falar, trabalhar)

Regular -er verbs (comer, beber)

Regular -ir verbs (abrir, partir)

My, your, and our (o meu, a nossa)

His, hers, and theirs (dele, dela)

Adjective agreement and placement

Days of the week (segunda-feira)

Months of the year (janeiro)

Counting by tens to 100 (trinta, quarenta...)

Telling time (é uma, são...)

Asking about time (quando, a que horas)

The verb to go (ir)

Prepositions of direction (a, para)

Preposition a contractions (ao, à, aos, às)

Prepositions of place (ao lado de, em frente de...)

Demonstratives (este, esse, aquele)

Contractions with demonstratives (neste, desse, daquele)

Asking which and how many (qual, quanto)

Plurals ending in -ão (-ões, -ãos, -ães)

Plurals ending in consonants (-ns, -is, -es)

The verb to like (gostar de)

The verb to need (precisar de)

The verb to want (querer)

The verb can or may (poder)

Expressing obligation (ter de)

Adverbs of degree (muito, pouco)

Quantifiers (muito, pouco)

Comparatives (mais... do que, menos... do que)

Equality comparisons (tão... como)

The preposition com (comigo, contigo)

Coordinating conjunctions (e, mas, ou, porque)

The preposition por (pelo, pela)

Double negation (nunca, nada, ninguém)

Present continuous (estar a)

Near future (ir)

Past tense of regular -ar verbs

Past tense of regular -er and -ir verbs

Past tense of ser and ir (fui, foi)

Direct object pronouns (me, te, o, a, nos, os, as)

Pronoun placement with negatives and questions

Greetings and courtesy (bom dia, obrigado)

Physical states with ter (ter fome, ter frio)

Asking the way (à direita, sempre em frente)

Colours (vermelho, amarelo, cor-de-rosa)

Money and shopping (custar, a moeda)

Getting around (o motorista, a paragem de autocarro)

Weather and seasons (faz calor, o inverno)

Omitting the subject pronoun

Where things are: ficar (Onde fica...?)

Richer questions: que + noun and é que

Numbers above 100 (cento e vinte, mil)

First-person sound changes (durmo, prefiro)

Advice and ability: dever and saber

Asking why: porquê and porque

When one thing happens: quando-clauses

Here and there: aqui, aí, ali (cá e lá)

Formal and plural possessives: o seu, o vosso

Irregular presents: ver, vir, dar

Present irregulars

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Stem-changing reflexives

Attached object pronouns (-lo, -la, -los, -las)

Nasal attached pronouns (-no, -na, -nos, -nas)

Pronoun placement with adverbs

Past tense of fazer, dizer, and trazer

Past tense of ter, estar, poder, and saber

Past tense of querer and vir

Past tense of ver, dar, and ler

Past tense reflexive verbs (-se)

Time elapsed in the past (há)

Question	Answer
in person	presencialmente
We no longer see each other in person, but today I am going there.	Já não nos vemos presencialmente, mas hoje vou aí.
Are you coming here in person?	Vens cá presencialmente?
to debate	debater
Are you coming here to debate or staying there?	Vens cá debater ou ficas aí?
the suggestion	a sugestão
I still have a good suggestion, so I am taking the book there.	Ainda tenho uma boa sugestão, por isso levo aí o livro.
Tomorrow you are coming here and bringing your suggestion.	Amanhã vens cá e trazes a tua sugestão.
the reader	o leitor
Each reader takes a book there.	Cada leitor leva um livro para lá.
The reader still comes here and brings a friend.	O leitor ainda vem aqui e traz um amigo.
the snack	o petisco
We are going there and taking a delicious snack.	Vamos aí e levamos um petisco delicioso.
Are you guys coming here to the house and bringing a snack?	Vêm cá a casa e trazem um petisco?
the fiction	a ficção
I am taking the fiction books there.	Levo aí os livros de ficção.
She is bringing the fiction here because she is coming by bus.	Ela traz a ficção aqui porque vem de autocarro.
the copy (of a publication)	o exemplar
I no longer have the copy, so I am not taking it there.	Já não tenho o exemplar, por isso não o levo aí.
Bring the copy here, please.	Traz aqui o exemplar, por favor.
the plot	o enredo
We are going over there to debate the plot.	Vamos ali debater o enredo.
He is coming here and bringing an interesting plot.	Ele vem cá e traz um enredo interessante.
the narrative	a narrativa
You are taking the narrative there to the meeting.	Levas a narrativa lá para o encontro.
I am going there and taking the narrative with me.	Vou aí e levo a narrativa comigo.
the chronicle	a crónica
Are you taking the chronicle there or leaving it here?	Levas a crónica para lá ou deixas aqui?
She comes here and brings the new chronicle.	Ela vem aqui e traz a crónica nova.