To speak truly street smart Portuguese, you need to learn how to use A GENTE in Brazil instead of using NÓS.
A gente = Nós = We, but you conjugate the verb in the singular, as you do for você, ele, and ela.
Notice that a gente does NOT mean “the people” when used this way. It means we.
In Brazilian Portuguese, we use a gente more often than we use nós. That is why I recommend that you do so too, especially among friends and family.
I show you how to use a gente in the examples below:
- Nós falamos português.
- A gente fala português.
- (We speak Portuguese)
- Nós andamos no parque com nosso cachorro.
- A gente anda no parque com nosso cachorro.
- (We walk in the park with our dog)
- Nós gostamos de música brasileira.
- A gente gosta de música brasileira.
- (We like Brazilian music)
Express likes and dislikes. Learn to use the verb Gostar in Portuguese
- Nós fomos ao cinema ontem.
- A gente foi ao cinema ontem.
- We went to the movies yesterday.
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- Nós vamos a uma festa amanhã.
- A gente vai a uma festa amanhã.
- We are going to a party tomorrow.
It’s simple, right? It’s just a matter of habit. Your Portuguese will sound more natural using a gente.
I have a very old video on YouTube with an older version of this lesson. Honestly, the video is not of good quality, but you get to hear the pronunciation of some of the examples above.
Street Smart Brazil has been teaching Portuguese online via video meetings since 2008. Test-drive a Portuguese lesson with one of our tutors. Book a trial lesson with us to see how we can help you speak Portuguese with confidence. How awesome will that feel, right?
I assume this applies also when indicating the future using ir + infinitive? For example:
We will have fun in the new office.
A gente vai se divertir no novo escritorio.
Thanks for your site, I purchased your book “51 Portuguese Idioms” and love it.
Oi, Chris! Yes, your example in the future tense is perfect. Muito obrigada pelo comentário e por ter comprado meu livro 🙂