Ir + Infinitive: Near Future
The construction ir + infinitive expresses a near or planned future event in European Portuguese. It is equivalent to the English "going to" future.
PortuStories Editorial
European Portuguese Grammar Guide
Use the present tense of ir + infinitive to talk about planned or imminent future actions. This is one of the most common ways to express the future in everyday EP speech.
Vou fazer o jantar esta noite.
I am going to make dinner tonight.
Eles vão chegar amanhã de manhã.
They are going to arrive tomorrow morning.
O que vais fazer no fim de semana?
What are you going to do at the weekend?
Do not confuse with estar a + infinitive (progressive, happening right now) or with the simple future (falarei, formal). Ir + infinitive is about future plans.
🇵🇹 European Portuguese
Vou comer mais tarde.
🇧🇷 Brazilian Portuguese
Vou comer mais tarde. (same)
Ir + infinitive works identically in EP and BP. Both use it for the near future.
From a PortuStories Story
Amanhã vamos visitar o museu e depois vamos jantar num restaurante típico.
Tomorrow we are going to visit the museum and then have dinner at a typical restaurant.