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Portuguese Phrase

A gente te liga quando estiver pronto.

/a ˈʒẽ.tʃi tʃi ˈli.ɡa ˈkwɐ̃.du isˈteʁ ˈpɾõ.tu/
Meaning"We’ll call you when it’s ready."
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Meaning

Literally, “We’ll call you when it’s ready.” The phrase is used to promise a future phone call once a task, product, or service is completed.

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When to use

Use this sentence when you want to reassure someone that you’ll get in touch after finishing something – for example, a repair, a reservation, or a project. It’s informal and common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.

✦Grammar Breakdown

A genteteligaquandoestiverpronto

1

A gente

Colloquial 1st‑person plural; verb agrees with third‑person singular.

2

te

Second‑person singular object pronoun (you).

3

liga

Present indicative of ligar; matches the singular verb form required by ‘a gente’.

4

quando

Temporal conjunction meaning ‘when’ that introduces a subordinate clause.

5

estiver

Present subjunctive of estar; used after ‘quando’ to refer to an uncertain future state.

6

pronto

Adjective meaning ‘ready’; agrees in gender/number with the implied subject.

🗨In Conversation

A

A gente te liga quando estiver pronto.

We’ll call you when it’s ready.

Obrigado! Vou ficar aguardando.

Thanks! I’ll be waiting.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • A gente te liga quando está pronto.

    Use the subjunctive ‘estiver’ after ‘quando’ to refer to a future, uncertain state.

  • A gente nos liga quando estiver pronto.

    ‘Nos’ means ‘to us’; the correct object pronoun for ‘you’ is ‘te’.

  • A gente eu te liga quando estiver pronto.

    Avoid mixing first‑person plural subject with a first‑person singular pronoun; it’s redundant.

↔Alternatives

  • Nós vamos te ligar quando estiver pronto.

    We’ll call you when it’s ready.

  • Te ligo quando estiver pronto.

    I’ll call you when it’s ready.

  • Entraremos em contato assim que estiver pronto.

    We’ll get in touch as soon as it’s ready.

pt

Cultural Tip

‘A gente’ is the most common way Brazilians replace ‘nós’ in casual speech. It’s perfectly natural in conversation but should be avoided in formal writing or business emails, where ‘nós’ is preferred. Also, the subjunctive ‘estiver’ signals that the completion is not guaranteed yet, a nuance native speakers use to sound polite.