Portuguese Phrase
Você vai voltar?
Meaning
This phrase is a direct way to ask if someone intends to come back to a location or state. It utilizes the common 'ir + infinitive' structure to express future intent in a conversational manner.
When to use
Use this when someone is leaving temporarily and you want to know if they are coming back later. It is also common when someone moves away or leaves a job to ask if they plan to return in the future.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Vocêvaivoltar
Você
The most common way to say 'you' in Brazil; it uses third-person singular verb conjugations.
Vai + Voltar
This is the 'immediate future' construction. 'Vai' is the conjugated form of 'ir' (to go), followed by the infinitive 'voltar'.
🗨In Conversation
Já estou indo para casa, tchau!
I'm going home now, bye!
Você vai voltar para a festa?
Are you going to return to the party?
✕Common Mistakes
Você vai volta?
The second verb must be in the infinitive form 'voltar' when following a conjugated auxiliary verb.
Você vai de voltar?
Do not place a preposition like 'de' between the auxiliary verb 'vai' and the main verb 'voltar'.
↔Alternatives
Você volta?
Will you return? (Literal: Do you return?)
Você pretende voltar?
Do you intend to return?
Cultural Tip
In Brazilian Portuguese, the near future (ir + infinitive) is much more common in speech than the simple future tense. Using 'Você voltará?' would sound overly formal or poetic in most daily situations.