Breakdown of Quando vou ao oculista, levo a minha filha.
meu
my (m/f/pl: meu, minha, meus, minhas)
a filha
the daughter
a
to / at (direction)
quando
when
ir
to go
o
him/it (m)
levar
to take (somewhere)
o oculista
the optician
Questions & Answers about Quando vou ao oculista, levo a minha filha.
Why does this sentence use the present tense vou after quando instead of the future subjunctive for?
We use the future subjunctive after quando to talk about specific future events (such as saying "When I go tomorrow..."). However, here we use the present indicative vou because it describes a habitual action. It translates better as "Whenever I go to the optician..."
Why use levo here for "take"? Could I use tomo?
No, you cannot use tomar here. Tomar is used for taking a shower, catching public transport, or taking medicine. When you mean "take" in the sense of physically bringing, transporting, or guiding someone or something to another location, you must use levar.
Is oculista a feminine word because it ends in -a?
Not necessarily. Nouns ending in -ista that refer to professions are generally "two-gender" words, meaning their spelling stays exactly the same whether you are talking about a man or a woman. The article before the noun is what indicates the gender. Here, ao (the contraction of a + o) tells us it is either a male optician or a general, unspecified optician.
How would I use this lesson's grammar to say "I have been meaning to take my daughter to the optician"?
You would use the structure andar para + infinitive, which expresses an intention that you keep delaying. You would say Ando para levar a minha filha ao oculista.
Learn Quando vou ao oculista, levo a minha filha and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free