Não vou à praia, pois faz frio.

Breakdown of Não vou à praia, pois faz frio.

ir
to go
a praia
the beach
fazer
to do
o frio
the cold

Questions & Answers about Não vou à praia, pois faz frio.

Why does this sentence use pois instead of porque?
Both words mean "because," but pois is often used in European Portuguese to justify or explain a statement you just made. It feels slightly more formal or written than porque, but they are perfectly interchangeable in this specific sentence.
Why is there a grave accent on à in à praia?
The à is a contraction of the preposition a (to) and the feminine definite article a (the). When talking about short trips or temporary visits, like going to the beach for the day, Portuguese uses the preposition a rather than para, which would imply a much longer stay or a permanent move.
Why use faz frio instead of está frio?
When talking about general weather conditions, Portuguese often uses the verb fazer (to make), so faz frio literally means "it makes cold." You could also say está frio to focus on how the temperature feels at this exact moment, but faz frio is a very standard idiom for the weather.
The English translation says "I am not going," but isn't vou the simple present tense?
Yes, vou is the simple present tense of ir (to go). In Portuguese, the simple present tense is very commonly used to express things you are doing right now or in the near future. You do not need to use a continuous form like estou a ir to say "I am not going" in this everyday context.

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