Agente vs. A Gente: An Agent or ‘We’ in Portuguese

Use a gente to say ‘we’ in everyday Brazilian Portuguese

A gente is two words: the article a plus gente. In conversational Brazilian Portuguese, it commonly means ‘we’ and takes a singular verb form: a gente vai, a gente quer, a gente estava. It is a natural everyday alternative to nós.

Although it refers to more than one person, do not use the plural verb ending with a gente. Compare nós vamos with a gente vai. In formal writing, nós may be preferred depending on the genre and style.

Brazilian Portuguese examples with English translations: Use a gente to say ‘we’ in everyday Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese	English meaning
A gente vai chegar às sete.	We’re going to arrive at seven.
A gente gosta de caminhar no parque.	We like walking in the park.
Nós precisamos confirmar a reserva.	We need to confirm the reservation.

Use agente for a person or professional role

Agente is one word and names a person who acts, represents, or provides a service. The job or context supplies the type: agente de viagens (travel agent), agente de saúde (health agent), or agente policial (police officer). It is a noun, not the informal pronoun ‘we.’

To choose, check what the following verb needs. If the sentence means ‘we,’ write a gente and use a singular verb. If it names a person or role, write agente.

Brazilian Portuguese examples with English translations: Use agente for a person or professional role
Brazilian Portuguese	English meaning
O agente de viagens encontrou outra opção.	The travel agent found another option.
A agente explicou os documentos necessários.	The agent explained the required documents.
A gente encontrou outra opção.	We found another option.

Remember: A gente means ‘we’ and takes a singular verb. Agente is a noun for a person who acts or represents others.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

A gente vai chegar às sete.

Context: Use a gente to say ‘we’ in everyday Brazilian Portuguese

I’m responsible for preparing reports for the team.The team had little time, so I organized the tasks by priority.I helped reduce errors by reviewing the process with my colleagues.We’re going to arrive at seven.

A gente gosta de caminhar no parque.

Context: Use a gente to say ‘we’ in everyday Brazilian Portuguese

We like walking in the park.I’m still deciding, but that idea sounds great.I’ll look into it a little and tell you later.Today I want to understand a conversation in a bakery.

Nós precisamos confirmar a reserva.

Context: Use a gente to say ‘we’ in everyday Brazilian Portuguese

I want to talk more comfortably with my partner’s family.We need to confirm the reservation.Today I’m going to practice three questions.My goal is to understand a song without translating every word.

O agente de viagens encontrou outra opção.

Context: Use agente for a person or professional role

Thank you very much for your help.Would you like me to take a photo for you?The travel agent found another option.It turned out great. Thank you!

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

We’re going to arrive at seven.
Show a Portuguese answer
A gente vai chegar às sete.
We like walking in the park.
Show a Portuguese answer
A gente gosta de caminhar no parque.
We need to confirm the reservation.
Show a Portuguese answer
Nós precisamos confirmar a reserva.
The travel agent found another option.
Show a Portuguese answer
O agente de viagens encontrou outra opção.
The agent explained the required documents.
Show a Portuguese answer
A agente explicou os documentos necessários.
We found another option.
Show a Portuguese answer
A gente encontrou outra opção.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

A gente means ‘we’ and takes a singular verb. Agente is a noun for a person who acts or represents others.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Agente vs. A Gente: An Agent or ‘We’ in Portuguese? lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.

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