Portuguese Phrase
Às vezes encontro amigos pra tomar um café.
Meaning
The speaker says that, on occasion, they meet up with friends in order to drink coffee together. It conveys a relaxed, social activity that isn’t part of a strict routine.
When to use
Use this sentence in informal conversation when you’re talking about your social habits, weekend plans, or describing a typical but not daily meetup with friends.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Às vezesencontroamigospratomarumcafé
Às vezes
Adverbial phrase meaning ‘sometimes’; placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis.
encontro
First‑person singular present of encontrar (‘to meet’/‘to find’).
amigos
Direct object; no preposition is needed after encontrar when you meet people.
pra
Colloquial contraction of para (‘to/for’). Common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese.
tomar um café
Infinitive phrase meaning ‘to have a coffee’. The article um is required in Portuguese.
🗨In Conversation
Às vezes encontro amigos pra tomar um café.
Sometimes I meet friends to have a coffee.
Que legal! Onde vocês costumam ir?
How nice! Where do you usually go?
✕Common Mistakes
Às vezes encontro amigos para tomar um café.
In informal speech Brazilians usually say pra; para is correct but sounds more formal.
Às vezes encontro amigos pra tomar café.
The article um is needed; tomar café sounds like drinking coffee in general, not a specific meeting.
Às vezes encontro amigos pra tomar um café.
While grammatically fine, many speakers prefer me encontro com amigos to stress the reciprocal nature of the meeting.
↔Alternatives
Às vezes me encontro com amigos para tomar um café.
Sometimes I meet up with friends to have a coffee.
De vez em quando, tomo um café com os amigos.
From time to time, I have a coffee with friends.
Às vezes, fico com os amigos para um café.
Sometimes I hang out with friends for a coffee.
Cultural Tip
Coffee (café) is a cornerstone of Brazilian social life. A quick ‘cafezinho’ at a local padaria or a longer sit‑down at a café is a common way to catch up with friends. Using the colloquial pra instead of para makes the sentence sound natural and relaxed, just like a native speaker would say.