Combinando os planos do fim de semana
Making weekend plans · a free Portuguese (Brazil) immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
O que você vai fazer no fim de semana?
What are you going to do on the weekend?
Literal The what you will do in the end of week?
A natural opener for checking someone's weekend plans. Uses the 'ir + infinitive' near-future structure common in everyday Brazilian speech.
- 'vai fazer' = ir (conjugated) + infinitive → near future tense
- 'fim de semana' literally means 'end of week'; always used with article 'o'
Vamos ao cinema no sábado à noite?
Shall we go to the cinema on Saturday night?
Literal We go to the cinema on the Saturday at night?
'Vamos' works both as 'let's go' and as a friendly suggestion. It's the most natural way to invite someone to do something.
- 'Vamos + infinitive or destination' = suggestion 'shall we / let's'
- 'no sábado' uses the contraction em + o; days are lowercase in Portuguese
Você pode no domingo de manhã?
Can you on Sunday morning?
Literal You can on the Sunday of morning?
A short, natural way to check availability without repeating the whole activity. 'Pode' (can/are able to) carries the meaning on its own in context.
- 'poder' conjugated: você pode (you can)
- 'de manhã' = in the morning; combine with a day: 'domingo de manhã' = Sunday morning
E se a gente for à praia?
What if we go to the beach?
Literal And if the people goes to the beach?
'E se...' is a relaxed way to float a suggestion. 'A gente' is the informal 'we' that Brazilians use constantly in everyday conversation.
- 'E se + subjunctive' = 'What if...?' for casual proposals
- 'a gente' = informal 'we'; always takes a third-person singular verb form
Prefiro almoçar em um restaurante legal.
I'd rather have lunch at a cool restaurant.
Literal I prefer to lunch in a restaurant cool.
'Prefiro' gently expresses a preference without rejecting anyone's idea. 'Legal' in Brazilian Portuguese means cool or nice—nothing to do with laws.
- 'preferir' (to prefer): eu prefiro — used to voice a preference softly
- 'legal' = cool/nice/great in Brazilian slang; a common false cognate for English speakers
Não posso no sábado, mas domingo tá ótimo.
I can't on Saturday, but Sunday is great.
Literal Not I can on the Saturday, but Sunday is great.
A polite formula for declining one option while immediately offering an alternative. 'Tá' is the extremely common spoken shortening of 'está'.
- 'não posso' = I can't (from 'poder', first-person singular)
- 'tá' = contracted form of 'está'; ubiquitous in casual Brazilian speech
Vamos combinar um lugar para nos encontrar.
Let's agree on a place to meet.
Literal Let's arrange a place for us to meet.
'Combinar' means to coordinate or agree on something. It's the standard verb for finalizing any kind of social plan with friends.
- 'Vamos + infinitive' = let's + verb (first-person plural suggestion)
- 'nos encontrar' = meet each other (reflexive); 'encontrar' alone = to find
Que horas você quer se encontrar?
What time do you want to meet?
Literal What hours you want to meet yourself?
'Que horas' is the standard Brazilian phrase for asking the time or asking when something happens. Literally 'what hours' but always used as a unit.
- 'que horas' = at what time (always plural in Portuguese)
- 'se encontrar' = to meet up (reflexive construction using 'se')
Tenho planos na sexta, mas o sábado tá livre.
I have plans on Friday, but Saturday is free.
Literal I have plans on the Friday, but the Saturday is free.
'Livre' here means available, not free of charge. This sentence pattern is the most natural way to navigate scheduling conflicts with friends.
- 'na sexta' = on Friday (em + a sexta-feira, contracted to 'na sexta')
- 'livre' = available/free (of time); 'grátis' or 'de graça' = free of charge
Adorei a ideia! Que horas nos encontramos?
I loved the idea! What time do we meet?
Literal I loved the idea! What hours we meet each other?
'Adorei' (I loved it) is the go-to reaction to confirm enthusiasm and seal the plan. 'Nos encontramos' uses the reflexive first-person plural—we meet each other.
- 'adorei' = past tense of 'adorar'; used to express excitement about a suggestion
- 'nos encontramos' = we meet (reflexive, first-person plural conjugation)
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
fim de semana
weekend
O que você vai fazer no fim de semana?
What are you going to do on the weekend?
Literally 'end of week'; always used with the definite article 'o'
combinar
to arrange / to agree on
Vamos combinar um horário.
Let's set a time.
Used to coordinate plans; also means 'to match' as in colors or styles
livre
free (available)
O sábado tá livre pra mim.
Saturday is free for me.
Means available; do not confuse with 'grátis' (free of charge)
a gente
we (informal)
E se a gente for ao parque?
What if we go to the park?
Very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese; always takes a third-person singular verb
sábado
Saturday
Posso no sábado à tarde.
I can on Saturday afternoon.
Days of the week are lowercase in Portuguese
domingo
Sunday
Vamos sair no domingo de manhã?
Shall we go out on Sunday morning?
Pair with 'de manhã', 'à tarde', or 'à noite' for time of day
planos
plans
Tenho planos na sexta-feira.
I have plans on Friday.
Plural of 'plano'; used in the phrase 'fazer planos' (to make plans)
legal
cool / nice / great
Que ideia legal!
What a cool idea!
Brazilian slang for cool or great; a classic false cognate—has nothing to do with law
encontrar
to meet / to find
Onde a gente se encontra?
Where do we meet?
'Se encontrar' (reflexive) = to meet each other; without 'se' it means to find
prefiro
I prefer
Prefiro ir no domingo.
I prefer to go on Sunday.
From 'preferir' (to prefer); a softer alternative to saying 'no' outright
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Na sexta-feira, Mariana manda mensagem para a amiga Júlia. 'Oi, Ju! Vamos sair no fim de semana?' Júlia responde animada: 'Claro! E se a gente for ao parque no domingo de manhã?' Mariana concorda na hora: 'Adorei a ideia! Podemos tomar um café lá depois.' As duas combinam de se encontrar às dez horas na entrada do parque.
Sentence by sentence
Vamos sair no fim de semana?
Shall we go out this weekend?
'Vamos + infinitive' is the most natural Brazilian way to suggest doing something together, functioning as both 'let's' and 'shall we'.
E se a gente for ao parque no domingo de manhã?
What if we go to the park on Sunday morning?
'E se + subjunctive' floats an open suggestion; 'a gente' is the informal everyday 'we' that Brazilians prefer over 'nós' in speech.
Podemos tomar um café lá depois.
We can grab a coffee there afterward.
'Podemos' (we can) from 'poder'; 'tomar um café' = to have a coffee—'tomar' is used for drinking in Brazilian Portuguese.
As duas combinam de se encontrar às dez horas na entrada do parque.
The two arrange to meet at ten o'clock at the park entrance.
'Combinar de + infinitive' = to arrange to do something; 'se encontrar' = to meet each other (reflexive); 'às dez horas' = at ten o'clock.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Near Future with 'ir': Vamos...?
In Brazilian Portuguese, near-future plans and suggestions are formed with the verb 'ir' (to go) conjugated + an infinitive. 'Vamos' (first-person plural of 'ir') is especially powerful: depending on context it means 'we are going to...' or 'let's...' or 'shall we...?'. It is the single most useful phrase for proposing weekend activities, and Brazilians use it constantly in casual conversation.
Vamos + infinitive → 'Shall we...?' / 'Let's...' | [subject] + vai/vão + infinitive → '[subject] is/are going to...'
Vamos ao cinema no sábado?
Shall we go to the cinema on Saturday?
Vamos combinar um horário.
Let's set a time.
Você vai fazer o quê no fim de semana?
What are you going to do on the weekend?
A gente vai se encontrar no parque.
We're going to meet at the park.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to Portuguese (Brazil): "What are you going to do this weekend?"
Hint Use 'vai fazer' for near future.
What does this mean in English? "Não posso no sábado, mas domingo tá ótimo."
Hint 'Tá' is an informal shortening of 'está'.
Complete the sentence with the correct word: "Tenho planos na sexta, mas o sábado tá ______."
Hint The missing word means 'free' as in available.
You want to suggest going to the beach with your friend. Which phrase fits best?
Rewrite as an invitation using 'Vamos...?': "Eu quero almoçar em um restaurante legal."
Hint 'Vamos' turns a statement into a warm invitation.
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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