Portuguese Phrase
A gente devia mandar eles na semana que vem.
Meaning
The sentence means “We should send them next week.” It uses the informal subject "a gente" and the conditional "devia" to give a polite suggestion about a future action.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to propose that a group (including yourself) send something—documents, parcels, or even a message—to someone in the upcoming week. It’s perfect for casual conversations among friends, coworkers, or family members.
✦Grammar Breakdown
A gentedeviamandarelesnasemanaquevem
A gente (subject)
"A gente" is a colloquial first‑person plural pronoun that behaves like a third‑person singular noun, so the verb that follows must be in the third‑person singular form.
devia (conditional)
"Devia" is the conditional of "dever" and is used to express a suggestion, recommendation or mild obligation ("should").
mandar eles (object placement)
In informal speech Brazilians often place the object pronoun after the verb ("mandar eles"). The standard written form would be the clitic "mandá‑los".
na semana que vem (time expression)
"Na semana que vem" literally means "in the week that comes" and is the most common way to say "next week" in Brazil.
🗨In Conversation
A gente devia mandar eles na semana que vem.
We should send them next week.
Boa ideia, já vou preparar tudo.
Good idea, I’ll get everything ready.
✕Common Mistakes
A gente devíamos mandar eles na semana que vem.
When using "a gente" the verb must stay in third‑person singular; "devíamos" is first‑person plural and does not agree with the subject.
A gente devia mandar a eles na semana que vem.
The preposition "a" is unnecessary; the direct object pronoun follows the verb directly (or attaches as a clitic).
A gente devia mandar eles na próxima semana que vem.
The phrase is redundant; choose either "na próxima semana" or "na semana que vem".
↔Alternatives
A gente deveria enviar eles na próxima semana.
We should send them the next week.
Precisamos mandar eles na semana que vem.
We need to send them next week.
Vamos mandar eles na semana que vem.
Let's send them next week.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil "a gente" is the go‑to informal way to say "we" and is heard in everyday speech, TV, and even some informal writing. In formal contexts (e.g., academic papers, official emails) you should use "nós" and match the verb in first‑person plural ("devíamos"). Also, while "mandar eles" is perfectly understandable, the grammatically prescriptive form "mandá‑los" is preferred in written Portuguese.