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How to Say ‘Are we going via the Segunda Circular?’ in Portuguese

Estamos a ir pela Segunda Circular?

sh-TAH-moosh ah eer PEH-lah seh-GOON-dah seer-koo-LAR

[sh-TAH-moosh ah eer PEH-lah seh-GOON-dah seer-koo-LAR]

💬 Usage Tip: In Portugal, "doing something right now" is estar a + the plain verb: estamos a ir, está a chover "it's raining". pela is por + a and means "via" or "by way of".

Phrase Breakdown

Estamos a ir

sh-TAH-moosh ah eer

Are we going

'Estar a' + infinitive is the European Portuguese continuous form. 'Estamos' sounds like 'ish-TA-moosh'.

Example

Estamos a ir para casa.

We are going home.

Words in this phrase

Estamos

[sh-TAH-moosh]

we are

"Estamos" is the first person plural of "estar," used for states or situations.

Example

Estamos num evento para conhecer recrutadores.

We are at an event to meet recruiters.

[ah]

(progressive marker)

In European Portuguese, 'estar a + infinitive' means doing something right now.

Example

Estou a comer.

I am eating.

[eer]

to go

The verb used to talk about moving from one place to another.

Example

Podemos ir para um canto mais calmo.

We can go to a quieter corner.

pela Segunda Circular?

PEH-lah seh-GOON-dah seer-koo-LAR

via the Segunda Circular?

'Pela' means 'by way of'. The Segunda Circular is a major Lisbon ring road. Raise your intonation at the end.

Example

Há trânsito na Segunda Circular.

There's traffic on the Segunda Circular.

Words in this phrase

pela

[PEH-lah]

Through the

Used to indicate movement within an area.

Example

Caminhamos pela cidade inteira.

We walked through the entire city.

Segunda

[seh-GOON-dah]

second

Feminine form of 'segundo', the ordinal number two.

Example

É a segunda porta.

It's the second door.

Circular

[seer-koo-LAR]

ring road

With 'Segunda', the name of Lisbon's Second Ring Road; also means 'circular'.

Example

A Circular tem muito trânsito.

The ring road has a lot of traffic.

Guides for Portuguese learners

The Portuguese You Actually Need in Your First Month in PortugalThe European Portuguese phrases for your first weeks in Portugal: paperwork, renting a flat, the bank, the health centre, cafés, trains and your new neighbours.

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