Questions & Answers about Eu vou à clínica.
Why is there a backwards accent on the word à?
The word à is a contraction. It combines the preposition a (to) and the feminine word for 'the', which is also a. In Portuguese, when 'to' and 'the' bump into each other before a feminine noun like clínica, they merge into à to mean 'to the'.
Does vou mean 'I go' or 'I am going'?
It can mean both! European Portuguese often uses the simple present tense to describe what you are doing right now. So vou (from the verb ir, meaning 'to go') naturally translates to 'I am going' in this context.
How would I change this sentence to say 'I have to go to the clinic' using the ter de structure from this lesson?
You would use the 'I' form of ter (to have), add de, and then use the infinitive (unconjugated) form of the verb 'to go', which is ir. The sentence becomes: Eu tenho de ir à clínica.
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