Vamos pegar o metrô?

Podcast Episode

Lesson Audio

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Read through the dialogue. Then listen again and follow along.

A

Vamos pegar o metrô?

Let's take the subway?

B

Essa hora não, está muito lotado.

Not at this hour — it's really crowded.

A

Eu sei, mas é mais rápido.

I know, but it's faster.

B

Tá bom, vamos.

OK, let's go.

📌 "Vamos + infinitivo" — Let's…!
Vamos is the 1st person plural of ir (to go), but it also works as "let's" to suggest doing something together:

Structure	Example	Meaning
Vamos + inf?	Vamos pegar o metrô?	Let's take the subway? / Shall we take the subway?
Vamos + inf?	Vamos almoçar?	Shall we have lunch?
Vamos! (alone)	Tá bom, vamos.	OK, let's go!
Vamos + inf?	Vamos trabalhar?	Shall we get to work?

The rising question intonation turns it into a suggestion. Vamos! alone means "let's go!" — one of the most energetic expressions in Brazilian Portuguese.

📌 Comparativo: mais + adjetivo
To compare in Portuguese, just put mais (more) before the adjective — no irregular forms for most adjectives:

Adjective	Comparative	Example
rápido (fast)	mais rápido	O metrô é mais rápido.
caro (expensive)	mais caro	O táxi é mais caro.
barato (cheap)	mais barato	O ônibus é mais barato.
longe (far)	mais longe	A estação é mais longe.
fácil (easy)	mais fácil	Isso é mais fácil.

To complete the comparison: mais rápido do que o táxi (faster than the taxi).

🗣️ Ponto fonológico — "Vamos": The V in Portuguese is a true labiodental fricative — top teeth on lower lip, producing air friction, just like English. This is very different from Spanish, where v and b can merge. In Brazilian Portuguese, vamos and bamos are never confused. Practice the contrast: vamos / bolo / você / bem — feel the difference between lip-to-lip (b) and teeth-to-lip (v).

🚇 Metrô no Brasil: São Paulo has one of Latin America's largest metro systems — but it's notoriously crowded during rush hour (horário de pico). Rio de Janeiro also has a metro, smaller but expanding. The verb pegar (literally "to grab/catch") is the everyday word for taking public transport: pegar o metrô, pegar o ônibus, pegar o trem — never tomar (which exists but is less common in São Paulo speech).

Exercise 1 — True or False?

Based on the dialogue, choose the correct answer.

1. Person A suggests taking the subway.

True False

2. Person B says the subway is empty.

True False

3. Person A says the subway is faster.

True False

4. In the end, they decide NOT to take the subway.

True False

Exercise 2 — Fill in the blanks

Complete each sentence with the correct word or expression from the word bank.

vamos pegaressa horalotadoeu seimais rápido

1. o ônibus?

2. não, está chovendo muito.

3. O metrô está muito nesse horário.

4. , mas é mais barato.

5. O trem é do que o ônibus.

Exercise 3 — Comparativo: "mais ___"

Choose the correct comparative to complete each sentence.

1. O táxi é ___ do que o metrô.
2. O metrô é ___ do que o táxi.
3. A estação fica ___ do que pensei.
4. O ônibus é ___ do que o metrô.

Note: more than one answer may be reasonable in real life — choose the most logical option based on general Brazilian reality.

Exercise 4 — Your turn

Answer in Portuguese.
Write your own answers. There are no right or wrong responses — this activity is about expressing your own ideas and experiences.

1. Suggest an activity using "Vamos + infinitivo?" — something you'd say to a friend or colleague.

2. Write a short dialogue (4 lines) between two people deciding on transport. Use Vamos pegar…?, Essa hora não…, Eu sei mas…, and Tá bom, vamos.

3. Compare two things from your city or daily life using "X é mais ___ do que Y." Write 2 sentences.