Portuguese Phrase
A gente pinta a parede da sala neste fim de semana?
Meaning
The speaker is asking whether the group (including themselves) will paint the wall of the living room during the upcoming weekend. It combines a casual subject pronoun with a present‑tense verb to convey a near‑future plan.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re coordinating a home‑improvement task with friends, family, or roommates and want to confirm the schedule. It’s informal, so it fits casual conversation rather than formal written requests.
✦Grammar Breakdown
A gentepintaaparededasalanestefimdesemana?
A gente
Colloquial equivalent of ‘nós’; it takes third‑person singular verb forms even though it means ‘we’.
pinta (present indicative)
Third‑person singular present of ‘pintar’; with ‘a gente’ it expresses a present or near‑future action.
da (de + a)
Contraction of the preposition ‘de’ + feminine singular article ‘a’, meaning ‘of the’.
neste (em + este)
Contraction of ‘em’ + demonstrative ‘este’, used for time expressions like ‘neste fim de semana’ (this weekend).
Interrogative intonation
The sentence ends with a question mark; in spoken Portuguese the rising intonation signals a yes/no question.
🗨In Conversation
A gente pinta a parede da sala neste fim de semana?
Are we painting the living‑room wall this weekend?
Sim, vamos comprar tinta amanhã e começar na sexta.
Yes, we’ll buy paint tomorrow and start on Friday.
✕Common Mistakes
A gente pintamos a parede da sala neste fim de semana?
With ‘a gente’ you must keep the verb in third‑person singular; ‘pintamos’ is the first‑person plural form used with ‘nós’.
Nos pinta a parede da sala neste fim de semana?
‘Nos’ is a clitic pronoun, not a subject pronoun; it cannot replace ‘a gente’ in this construction.
A gente pinta a parede da sala no próximo fim de semana?
If you want to refer to ‘next weekend’, you must say ‘no próximo fim de semana’, not ‘neste’.
↔Alternatives
Nós vamos pintar a parede da sala neste fim de semana.
We are going to paint the living‑room wall this weekend.
Pintaremos a parede da sala neste fim de semana?
Will we paint the living‑room wall this weekend?
Vamos pintar a parede da sala neste fim de semana?
Shall we paint the living‑room wall this weekend?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, ‘a gente’ is the go‑to informal way to say ‘we’, especially in spoken language and among younger speakers. It’s perfectly natural in everyday planning, but in formal writing you’d switch to ‘nós’. Also, weekend home‑improvement projects are common social activities, often turned into a small gathering with music and snacks.