When travelling around Brazil, there are three verbs you’ll use all the time – ir (to go), vir (to come) and chegar (to arrive). Whether you’re navigating a bus station, meeting friends, or just explaining your plans, these verbs are essential tools for every traveller.
Ir (to go) – movement away from where you are:
| We are going to Curitiba | Vamos para Curitiba |
Vir (to come) – movement toward where you are:
| She is coming with us | Ela vem conosco |
Chegar (to arrive) – reaching a destination:
| The bus arrives at 11 o’clock | O ônibus chega às 11 horas |
Present tense conjugations of ir, vir and chegar
Here’s how the conjugations of ir, vir and chegar look in the present tense:
| Pronoun | Ir | Vir | Chegar |
| eu | vou | venho | chego |
| você | vai | vem | chega |
| ele/ela | vai | vem | chega |
| nós | vamos | vimos | chegamos |
| vocês | vão | vêm | chegam |
| eles/elas | vão | vêm | chegam |
Note: ir and vir are irregular, so you’ll want to memorise their forms. Chegar is a regular verb. You can read more about conjugating regular verbs in the present tense here.
Choosing the right prepositions for ir, vir and chegar
Movement verbs in Portuguese are almost always followed by prepositions – words such as in, on and at that indicate where an action is taking place e.g. at the beach.
See here for more information about prepositions in Brazilian Portuguese.
The difference between ‘ir a’ and ‘ir para’
‘Ir a’ is usually used for short visits or quick trips, like going to the cinema or a shop, while ‘ir para’ is used for longer stays, like moving to a city or going home:
‘Ir a’ – for short trips or brief stops:
| I’m going to the bakery | Vou à padaria |
‘Ir para’ – for longer stays or permanent moves
| I’m moving to São Paulo | Vou me mudar para São Paulo |
Tip: In everyday conversation, Brazilians often skip the distinction between a and para and just use para for everything.
Contractions when using ir a and ir para
When you use ‘ir a’, the preposition a contracts with the definite article that follows:
- a + o → ao (Vou ao supermercado. – I’m going to the supermarket)
- a + a → à (Vamos à padaria – We’re going to the bakery)
- a + os → aos (Os estudantes vão aos museus – The students are going to the museums)
- a + as → às (Vou às lojas – I’m going to the shops)
With ‘ir para’, Brazilians often shorten para in speech, creating the informal contractions:
- para + o → pro (Ele vai pro Brasil – He’s going to Brazil)
- para + a → pra (Ela foi pra Argentina – She went to Argentina)
- para + os → pros (Eles viajaram pros Estados Unidos – They traveled to the United States)
- para + as → pras (Ela se mudou pras Filipinas – She moved to the Philippines)
Remember: the contractions ao, à, aos and às (from ‘ir a’) are mandatory in Brazilian Portuguese, while the contractions pro, pra, pros and pras (from ‘ir para’) are informal shortcuts, common in speech but optional in writing.
For a deeper dive into contractions, check out our full guide here.
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