Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Vou ao cinema de autocarro.

Vou ao cinema de autocarro.

I am going to the cinema by bus.

Breakdown of Vou ao cinema de autocarro.

of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)

to the / at the (m.sg; f.sg à, m.pl aos, f.pl às)

to go

o cinema

the cinema

Questions & Answers about Vou ao cinema de autocarro.

Why is there no word for "I" before vou?

In Portuguese, the pronoun eu (I) is often left out because the verb form already tells you who is doing the action. Vou is the "I" form of the irregular verb ir (to go), so it means "I go" or "I am going" all by itself.

Why is vou translated here as "I am going" instead of "I go"?

In Portuguese, the simple present tense can describe both a general habit ("I go to the cinema every week") and something happening right now or in the near future ("I am going to the cinema tonight"). The context tells you which meaning makes sense!

Where does the word ao come from?

The verb ir is almost always followed by the preposition a (to). Because cinema is a masculine noun, we also need the masculine word for "the", which is o. In Portuguese, a and o squeeze together to form the single word ao (to the).

Why do we use de to say "by" bus?

While the word de often means "of" or "from", it is also the standard preposition used for modes of transportation. Whenever you want to say you travel "by" a vehicle, you use de, making de autocarro the correct way to say "by bus".