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Nós vamos às compras.

Nós vamos às compras.
We are going shopping.
From Lesson 29:Preposition a contractions (ao, à, aos, às)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Nós vamos às compras.

nós
we
ir às compras
to go shopping

Questions & Answers about Nós vamos às compras.

Why is there an accent mark on às?
It shows a contraction! The verb ir (to go, here as vamos) needs the preposition a (to). Because compras is a feminine plural noun, it takes the definite article as (the). When you combine a + as, they merge into às (to the). The grave accent lets you know these two words were combined.
Why does the Portuguese sentence use a plural noun (compras) for 'shopping'?
In Portuguese, 'shopping' isn't expressed with an action verb ending in '-ing' like in English. Instead, they use the noun compras, which literally means 'purchases'. So, the sentence translates word-for-word as 'We are going to the purchases'.
Does vamos mean 'we go' or 'we are going'?
It can mean both. In Portuguese, the simple present tense covers things you do regularly ('we go') and things happening right now ('we are going'). The exact meaning just depends on the context of the conversation.
Do I have to include the word Nós at the beginning?
No, you can just say Vamos às compras. Because the verb form vamos is only ever used for 'we', the pronoun Nós is optional. Portuguese speakers often drop it unless they want to add emphasis.

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