Portuguese Phrase
Temos que ir ao supermercado.
Meaning
‘We have to go to the supermarket.’ The sentence expresses a shared obligation or necessity to shop for groceries.
When to use
Use this phrase when you and one or more people need to plan a grocery run, whether it’s a daily chore, an urgent need for food, or part of a larger outing.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Temosqueiraosupermercado
Temos (verbo ter)
‘Temos’ is the first‑person plural present of ‘ter’, used here to express obligation.
que (conjunção)
‘que’ links the main verb to an infinitive, equivalent to ‘that’ or ‘to’ in English.
ir (infinitivo)
The infinitive ‘ir’ means ‘to go’; after ‘que’ it forms a mandatory action.
ao (contração)
‘ao’ is the contraction of the preposition ‘a’ + definite article ‘o’, meaning ‘to the’.
supermercado (substantivo)
A common noun for ‘supermarket’, a place where you buy groceries.
🗨In Conversation
Temos que ir ao supermercado.
We have to go to the supermarket.
Vamos agora ou depois do almoço?
Shall we go now or after lunch?
✕Common Mistakes
Temos a ir ao supermercado.
The preposition ‘a’ cannot replace the conjunction ‘que’ after ‘temos’. Use ‘temos que’.
Temos ir ao supermercado.
The conjunction ‘que’ is required to link the verb ‘temos’ with the infinitive ‘ir’.
Temos que ir ao super mercado.
‘Supermercado’ is a single word; splitting it changes the meaning.
Temos que ir ao supermercado?
A question mark changes the sentence to a query; use it only when you’re actually asking.
↔Alternatives
Precisamos ir ao supermercado.
We need to go to the supermarket.
Temos de ir ao supermercado.
We must go to the supermarket.
É preciso ir ao supermercado.
It is necessary to go to the supermarket.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil and Portugal the word ‘supermercado’ is used for large grocery stores, but you’ll also hear ‘mercado’ for smaller neighborhood shops. When speaking informally, Brazilians often drop the ‘que’ and say ‘Temos que ir ao mercado’ or even ‘Vamos ao supermercado’. In formal writing, keep the full structure ‘Temos que…’. Also note that ‘temos de’ is more common in European Portuguese, while ‘temos que’ is typical in Brazil.