Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Amanhã elas vão à praia. - Tomorrow they are going to the beach.

The preposition a is used for short, temporary trips. Going to the beach is usually a day trip, meaning they will return home later. If you used para, it would imply a long-term move, making it sound like they are moving to the beach permanently!

Why does the word à have an accent mark pointing to the left?

That accent marks a contraction. In Portuguese, you do not say a a (to the). Instead, the preposition a (to) and the feminine word for 'the', which is also a, merge together into a single word. The grave accent shows that this merge happened, making à mean 'to the' before a feminine noun like praia.

The translation says 'are going', but isn't vão the present tense?

Yes, vão is the present tense of the verb ir (to go). Just like in English, you can use the present tense in Portuguese to talk about planned future events, as long as you include a future time word like amanhã (tomorrow).

Can I drop the word elas and just say Amanhã vão à praia?

Yes, you can! Portuguese often drops subject pronouns. However, keeping elas (they, a group of females) here helps clarify exactly who is going, since the verb vão could also be used for eles (they, males or mixed group) or vocês (you all).