Portuguese Phrase
Fomos ao museu.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘We went to the museum.’ It states a completed action in the past, indicating that a group (including the speaker) visited a museum.
When to use
Use this phrase when recounting a recent outing, describing a school field trip, or sharing a cultural experience with friends or family.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Fomosaomuseu.
Ir (pretérito perfeito) – fomos
‘Fomos’ is the 1st‑person plural form of the verb *ir* in the simple past (pretérito perfeito), meaning ‘we went’.
Contraction – ao
‘ao’ is the contraction of the preposition *a* (to) + the masculine singular definite article *o*, used before masculine nouns.
Noun gender – museu
‘museu’ is a masculine noun meaning ‘museum’; it takes the article *o* (as in *o museu*).
🗨In Conversation
Fomos ao museu ontem à tarde.
We went to the museum yesterday afternoon.
Que legal! O que vocês mais gostaram?
How nice! What did you like the most?
✕Common Mistakes
Fui ao museu.
‘Fui’ is singular (I went); use ‘Fomos’ for ‘we’.
Nós fomos ao museu.
The subject pronoun ‘nós’ is usually omitted because the verb ending already indicates ‘we’.
Fomos ao museus.
‘Museus’ is plural; the sentence refers to a single museum, so keep it singular *museu*.
↔Alternatives
Visitamos o museu.
We visited the museum.
Fizemos uma visita ao museu.
We made a visit to the museum.
Estivemos no museu.
We were at the museum.
Cultural Tip
Museums in Brazil often host temporary exhibitions of local art, indigenous artifacts, and natural history. When visiting, it’s polite to keep your voice low and to ask permission before taking photos, as some galleries restrict photography. In many cities, museums offer free entry on certain days, which is a great way to practice Portuguese while learning about the country’s culture.