Present Tense of Ir in Portuguese

Learning the Present Tense of Ir in Portuguese

Everybody that has ever tried to learn a new language knows perfectly well that the problems lie in learning the exceptions, not the rules. And, unfortunately for us, the present tense of ir in Portuguese is all about those exceptions. Fortunately, however, today’s Dica do Dia is all about the verb ir in Portuguese!

Using the Present Tense of Ir in Portuguese

The verb ir in Portuguese means “to go.” And much like in English, the present tense of ir can be used to indicate directions and places where we want to go, as well as expressing things we will be doing in the near future. We’re going to take a look into both of these soon enough, but first, take a look at the conjugation of the verb ir in the present tense:

Using Ir to Talk About Direction and Place

An important thing to remember when using the verb ir in Portuguese is that, just like in English, we need a preposition to indicate the place we want to go to. In Portuguese, that preposition will be either para or a. Just be careful when using a, because sometimes you may need to use the “A” accent in Portuguese!

Examples with Ir to Indicate Direction and Place

Eu sempre vou para o cinema no fim de semana.
I always go to the movies on the weekends.

Minha mãe vai para Pequim em agosto.
My mother goes to Beijing in August.

Eu e meus amigos vamos à Confeitaria Colombo na RioLIVE! de hoje.
Me and my friends go to Confeitaria Colombo in today’s RioLIVE!.

Using Ir to Talk About the Future

Now, if you want to talk about a future action, you can simply use the present tense of ir in Portuguese with another verb in the infinitive form. Usually this form of the future is only used with confirmed future plans (not something you think you might do), and only for the near future (not three years from now!). You can read more about it in this Dica.

Examples with Ir to Describe Future Plans

Eles vão surfar amanhã de manhã.
They are going to surf tomorrow morning.

Quando você vai viajar para Manaus?
When are you going to travel to Manaus?

Ela vai tirar um visto de estudante para o Brasil e vai ficar um ano aqui.
She‘s going to get a Brazilian student visa and she‘s going to stay here for one year.