“Nós vamos”(We’re going) or “A gente vai” (We’re going)? What is the correct form?
Both forms “nós vamos” and “a gente vai” are used in Brazil and have exactly the same meaning. However, in colloquial language, most people use “a gente.”
For example:
Nós vamos ao Brasil em junho. (We’re going to Brazil in June.)
A gente vai ao Brasil em junho. (We’re going to Brazil in June.)
The second form is much more used in everyday life.
In this lesson, you’re going to learn when to use “nós” or “a gente” and how to conjugate verbs correctly with each of these forms. We’re also going to talk about the other uses of the word “gente” in Portuguese.
👉 This lesson comes with a free worksheet with the summary of the lesson, many examples in sentences, and exercises for you to practice. Click here to download your worksheet.
What’s the difference between “nós” and “a gente”?
The term “nós” (we) is a personal pronoun that indicates the first person plural.
Nós somos. (We are.)
“A gente” is a pronominal expression formed by the article “a” and the noun “gente,” which refers to a group of people. In this case, “a gente” refers to the people who are speaking, which means us.
In other words, “nós” and “a gente” have exactly the same meaning. The difference between these terms is in the level of formality and in the verb agreement.
The pronoun “nós” is slightly formal, while the expression “a gente” is considered informal.
The use of the pronoun “nós” is more recommended according to prescriptive grammar, but if you pay attention to Brazilians speaking naturally, you will notice that most Brazilians use the expression “a gente” all the time. In colloquial language, the use of “a gente” is much more common than the use of the pronoun “nós.”
Why is “a gente” more common than “nós”?
Most Brazilians use “a gente” in colloquial language because the verb agreement is much easier.
For example:
Nós trabalhamos todos os dias. (We work every day.)
A gente trabalha todos os dias. (We work every day.)
The verb agreement with the expression “a gente” is done in the third person singular. That is, we use the same conjugation with the pronouns “ele”(he), “ela”(she), “você”(you) and “a gente”(we).
Você vai. (You go.)
Ele vai. (He goes.)
Ela vai. (She goes.)
A gente vai. (We go.)
This happens because the term “gente” is a singular noun, even though it refers to a group of people. For this reason, the verb agreement stays in the singular.
On the other hand, the conjugation for the pronoun “nós” is unique; that is, it is not used with any other pronoun. For this reason, most Brazilians use “a gente” instead of “nós” in everyday language.
Verb agreement
It’s very important to pay attention to verb agreement when using these terms.
Even though they have the same meaning, the verb agreement with each of them is different. The pronoun “nós” must always agree with verbs in the first person plural, while “a gente” must always agree with verbs in the third person singular.
Let’s see a few more examples:
Nós estudamos português. (We study Portuguese.)
A gente estuda português. (We study Portuguese.)
Nós comemos pizza ontem. (We ate pizza yesterday.)
A gente comeu pizza ontem. (We ate pizza yesterday.)
Nós temos que trabalhar amanhã. (We have to work tomorrow.)
A gente tem que trabalhar amanhã. (We have to work tomorrow.)
“A gente” or “agente”?
The expression “a gente,” in the sense of “we,” must be written with two words: “a gente.”
The term “agente,” in one word, has the same pronunciation but a completely different meaning. “Agente,” in one word, is a person who acts, or a person who works in an agency.
For example, “um agente literário” ( a literary agent), “um agente consular” (a consular agent), “um agente secreto” (a secret agent). The famous James Bond is “um agente” (an agent)..
Which one should I use?
Many students ask me when they should use “nós” or “a gente.” Theoretically, the term “nós” is more formal and “a gente” more informal, but in my opinion, there isn’t a big difference in formality between these terms. I use both forms all the time in all situations. I mix the two terms sometimes in the same sentence. So, in my opinion, it’s more a matter of preference and style than anything else.
In formal writing, I recommend using the pronoun “nós.” But in speech, feel free to use either one.
Since learning Portuguese verb conjugation is a big challenge, I recommend that beginner students use “a gente,” because it’s easier. But of course, more advanced students should learn to use both forms.
Other uses of the word “gente”
Now let’s talk about the word “gente” in other contexts.
“Gente” means a group of people, but it is a singular term.
For example:
Tinha muitas pessoas na festa. (There were a lot of people at the party.)
Tinha muita gente na festa. (There were a lot of people at the party.)
We can’t count the word “gente,” so if you need to indicate quantity, you must use the term “pessoas.”
Tinha 10 pessoas na festa. (There were 10 people at the party.)
Now, pay attention! Even though the term “gente” means “people,” we do not use the expression “a gente” in place of “the people,” because “a gente” means “we.”
For example, if you want to say that “the people arrived,” we cannot say “a gente chegou.” That would be very confusing because “a gente chegou” means “we arrived.”
In other words, the expression “a gente” in Brazilian Portuguese always means “we.”
The term “gente” is also very used as an interjection to indicate surprise.
For example:
Gente! Não acredito que isso aconteceu! (Wow! I can’t believe this happened!)
We also use the term “gente” as a vocative.
Oi, gente! (Hi, everyone!)
Free worksheet!
👉 This lesson comes with a free worksheet with the summary of the lesson, many examples in sentences, and exercises for you to practice. Click here to download your worksheet.
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