Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Eles vão esperar pelo autocarro.

Eles vão esperar pelo autocarro.

They are going to wait for the bus.

Breakdown of Eles vão esperar pelo autocarro.

Questions & Answers about Eles vão esperar pelo autocarro.

How do we form the near future tense in this sentence?

We use the present tense of the verb ir (to go) followed by the infinitive of the main verb. Here, vão is the they form of ir, and esperar means to wait. Together, vão esperar means they are going to wait.

Why does the sentence use pelo instead of just por?

The verb esperar pairs with the preposition por to mean wait for. However, because autocarro is a masculine noun, we also need the article o (the). In Portuguese, por and o must combine into the single word pelo (for the).

Can I drop the word Eles from this sentence?

Yes! It is very common to drop the subject pronoun in Portuguese because the verb tells us who is doing the action. Vão esperar pelo autocarro is a perfectly correct and natural way to say this.

Is autocarro the standard word for bus?

Yes, autocarro is the word for a bus in Portugal. If you have seen the word ônibus before, that is the Brazilian Portuguese equivalent, but it is not used in European Portuguese.