Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Vais à farmácia agora? - Are you going to the pharmacy now?

Vais à farmácia agora?

Are you going to the pharmacy now?

Breakdown of Vais à farmácia agora?

agora

now

at the (fem. sg.) / to the (fem. sg.)

to go

a farmácia

the pharmacy

Questions & Answers about Vais à farmácia agora?

Why is the verb vais when the dictionary says 'to go' is ir?

Ir is a highly irregular verb, meaning its forms don't follow the normal spelling rules. Vais is the specific form for tu (informal 'you'). Because the verb changes so much for each person, we don't even need to include the word tu in the sentence.

What does the backwards accent on à mean?

It shows that two words have been combined. The verb ir is usually followed by the preposition a (to). Because farmácia is a feminine noun, it needs the feminine word for 'the', which is also a. Instead of awkwardly saying a a farmácia, Portuguese combines them into à.

The English translation says 'Are you going', but where is the word for 'Are'?

Portuguese doesn't use helper words like 'are' or 'do' to ask questions. You simply use the normal verb form, vais, and raise your pitch at the end of the sentence to show it is a question.

Does vais mean 'you go' or 'you are going'?

It means both! The simple present tense in Portuguese covers both a general habit ('you go') and an action happening right now ('you are going'). In this sentence, the word agora (now) gives you the context to know it means 'are you going' at this very moment.