Portuguese Phrase
Você tem um plano de fuga?
Meaning
Literally, “Do you have an escape plan?” It can be used literally (e.g., planning a getaway) or figuratively to ask if someone has a backup strategy for a difficult situation.
When to use
Use this question when you want to know whether someone has thought ahead about how to get out of a tricky or dangerous scenario, whether it’s a real emergency, a game, or a humorous comment about leaving a boring meeting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vocêtemumplanodefuga?
Você (pronoun)
Second‑person singular pronoun used in Brazil; conjugates verbs in the third‑person singular form.
tem (present of ter)
Present‑indicative of the verb ‘ter’ (to have); agrees with ‘você’ (third‑person singular).
um (indefinite article)
Indefinite masculine article used before a singular noun that is not previously specified.
plano de fuga (noun phrase)
‘plano’ = plan; ‘de’ = of; ‘fuga’ = escape. Together they form a compound noun meaning ‘escape plan’.
Question intonation
In spoken Portuguese the rising intonation at the end of the sentence signals a yes/no question; the written question mark is optional in informal speech.
🗨In Conversation
Você tem um plano de fuga?
Do you have an escape plan?
Sim, já reservei um hotel fora da cidade para o caso de precisarmos sair rápido.
Yes, I’ve already booked a hotel outside the city in case we need to leave quickly.
✕Common Mistakes
Há um plano de fuga?
‘Há’ means ‘there is/are’; using it changes the meaning to ‘Is there an escape plan?’ rather than asking if the listener possesses one.
Você tem um plano de fuga.
Missing the question mark or rising intonation can make the sentence sound like a statement: ‘You have an escape plan.’
Tu tem um plano de fuga?
Dropping ‘você’ is fine in informal speech, but beginners often forget to adjust verb conjugation when they switch to ‘tu’ (Portugal).
↔Alternatives
Você tem um plano de saída?
Do you have an exit plan?
Tem um plano de fuga?
Do you have an escape plan?
Você já pensou em como fugir?
Have you thought about how to escape?
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, asking about a ‘plano de fuga’ can be serious (e.g., during a natural disaster) or playful (e.g., joking about leaving a boring lecture). Keep the tone informal with friends, but switch to a more neutral register in professional or emergency contexts. Also, note that in Portugal people often use ‘tem’ as well, but the pronoun ‘tu’ is more common there, so you’d hear ‘Tu tens um plano de fuga?’