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[ARCHIVE] Portuguese Subjunctive Guide

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justheaven

[ARCHIVE] Portuguese Subjunctive Guide

Post by justheaven »

Original Post by: linguafiqari: https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/9508268 | Archived original page: https://archive.ph/gf807


Image linguafiqari:

The subjunctive (O conjuntivo) can be tricky to grasp for English speakers, as it's rare in our language. I'm putting this guide together in the hopes that it will help those who struggle with this aspect of Portuguese.

What is the subjunctive?

The subjunctive is a verb mood. What does that mean? A verb mood, of which there are four, shows the meaning behind a verb, not the time at which it occurred - the subjunctive a tense. The four verb moods which exist are the indicative, the conditional, the subjunctive, and the jussive. The indicative is the easier form which is learnt first - used for things like facts or definite situations, like “He was here”. The conditional is used for situations which are dependent on other situations to be able to occur, like “I would go, if I had the time“. The jussive is the form used for the “Let's ...“ and imperative forms of the verb, like “Let's eat” and “Eat!”. The subjunctive, however, is used in situations of doubt, desire, opinion, and others, which will be shown later.

How to conjugate the subjunctive - Present Tense

To conjugate the subjunctive in the present tense, take the eu form of the verb, remove the final -o, then add the following endings:\

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So, let's look at these endings on some verbs:

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Due to orthographical rules in Portuguese, the spelling of some verbs changes when they are put into the subjunctive. Here are the endings that change, with an infinite and the eu form of the subjunctive as an example:

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There are unfortunately irregular verbs in the subjunctive. These are:

  • Ser: Sej- (For example, “Eu seja“, “Eles sejam“)
  • Estar: Esteja- (For example, “Tu estejas“, “Nós estejamos“)
  • Dar: D-; The final e takes a circumflex accent (For example, “Ele dê“,“Nós dêmos“)
  • Saber: Saib- (For example, “Eu saiba“, “Elas saibam“)
  • Haver: Haj- (For example, “Ele haja“)
  • Ir: V-; Eu, Tu, Ele/Ela/Você: the a takes an acute accent. The Nós & Eles/Elas/Vocês
    conjugation is the same as the indicative (For example, “Ele vá“, “Nós vamos“)
  • Querer: Queir- (For example, “Eu queira“, “Elas queiram“)

How the present subjunctive is used

The use of the present subjunctive can be hard to get the hang of at first, as it appears so seldom in English (an example being “I suggest that he go“). If you've already encountered the subjunctive in other languages like Spanish, it will be a bit easier, as many of the “subjunctive phrases” will carry over to Portuguese. Likewise, getting familiar with the subjunctive in Portuguese first will help when it comes to using it in other languages.

1. Doubt

If there is doubt within a situation, the subjunctive is used. For example, phrases like “Não acredito que...“ (I don't believe that...), “Duvido que...“ (I doubt that...), “Não tenho a certeza de que...“ (I'm not sure that...) all use the subjunctive. The use and wording of phrases will depend on the region that you’re in. Remember that any phrases where there isn't doubt don't use the subjunctive, for example “Acho que...“ (I think that...) and “Não duvido que...“ (I don't doubt that...). Let's look at some example sentences - words in Italics are “subjunctive phrases“, and words in Bold are verbs in the subjunctive.

  • Não acredito que ele aprenda dez línguas à vez - I can't believe he is learning ten languages at once
  • Não tenho a certeza de que isto seja bom - I'm not sure this is good
  • Duvido que estejas a dizer a verdade - I doubt you're telling the truth

And here are these “subjunctive phrases“ flipped, to show them with the indicative:

  • Acredito que ele aprende dez línguas à vez - I can believe that he is learning ten languages at once
  • Tenho a certeza de que isto é bom - I'm sure this is good
  • Não duvido que estás a dizer a verdade - I don't doubt you’re telling the truth

2. Wishes/Orders

If there is a wish or an order, something which may not end up happening, the subjunctive is used. Some phrases which require the subjunctive are “Quero que...“ (I want (that)...), “Espero que...“ (I hope (that)...), and “Desejo que...“ (I wish (that)...). Let's look at some example sentences of this use:

  • Elas desejam que tudo corra bem - They wish that everything will go well
  • Não queremos que chova amanhã - We don't want it to rain tomorrow
  • Os meninos esperam que não haja escola na quinta-feira - The children hope that there's no school on Thursday

3. Impersonal statements

Statements like “É bom que...“ (It's good that...), “É fácil que...“ (It's likely that...), and “É improvável que...“ (It's unlikely that...) use the subjunctive. However, remember that the subjunctive is used where there is uncertainty - so statements like “É certo que...“ (It's certain that...) wouldn't be used with the subjunctive. Here are some example phrases:

  • É bom que as pessoas saibam os perigos - It's good that people know the dangers
  • É improvável que eles ganhem a partida - It's unlikely that they'll win the game
  • É estranho que ele não se lembre - It's strange that he doesn't remember

Here is a list of some phrases which use the subjunctive:

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4. Direct effect

If an action affects you directly (e.g. “I don't like that...“), the subjunctive is used. Some phrases which use the subjunctive in this way are “Perturba-me...“ (It bothers me that...), “Gosto que...“ (I like that...), and “Entristece-me que...“ (It upsets me that...). Some examples are:

  • Perturba-me que o voo seja cancelado - It bothers me that the flight is cancelled
  • Não gostamos que haja tanta gente - We don't like that there are so many people
  • Entristece-me que você esteja tão infeliz - It upsets me that you’re so unhappy

5. Fixed expressions

Some fixed expressions use the subjunctive. Some examples of such expressions are “Embora...“ (Although...), “Não obstante que...“ (Despite...), and “A não ser que...“ (Unless...). Here are some examples:

  • Não obstante que esteja a chover, vamos nadar - Despite the fact that it’s raining, we are going to swim
  • Embora ele tenha fome, não come o jantar - Although he is hungry, he doesn’t eat dinner
  • Caso você não coma carne, há pratos vegetarianos - If you don’t eat meat (In the case of you not eating meat), there are vegetarian dishes
  • Não vou ao estrangeiro a não ser que conheça alguém no país - I don’t go abroad unless I know someone in the country

6a. Commands - Tu (Portugal)

When saying a negative command to someone you address as “tu“, the tu form of the present subjunctive is used:

  • Não fales assim! - Do not speak like that!
  • Não te esqueças da tua bagagem de mão - Don't forget your hand luggage

6b. Commands - Você & Vocês

For commands said to someone you address as “você“ (both positive and negative), the ele/ela/você form of the present subjunctive is used:

  • Ponha a bolsa aquí - Put the bag here
  • Não fume no carro - Do not smoke in the car

Likewise, commands to a group you address as “vocês“ use the eles/elas/vocês form of the present subjunctive:

  • Aprendam comigo! - Learn with me!
  • Por favor sejam pacientes - Please be patient
  • Não percam a chave - Do not lose the key
  • Não usem o elevador em caso de incêndio - Do not use the lift in case of fire

7. Oxalá/Tomara

“Oxalá“ comes from the Arabic “Insha 'allah“, and means “Let's hope that”, or “I hope that”. An alternative is “Tomara“, which means the same thing. Both use the present subjunctive:

  • Oxalá não percamos nosso voo - Let's hope we don't miss our flight
  • Tomara seja bom! - Let's hope it's good!

8. Que...

The last use of the subjunctive is starting a sentence or clause with “Que“, then using the subjunctive. This is used to show desires and thoughts. For example:

  • Que nunca partamos! - Let's never leave!

How to conjugate the subjunctive - Imperfect Tense

The subjunctive also exists in the imperfect tense. To conjugate it, take the eles/elas/vocês form of the verb in the preterite tense and remove the -aram/-erem/-irem, then add the following endings:

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Here are the endings on the verbs we looked at for the present tense:

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How the imperfect subjunctive is used

The imperfect subjunctive is used, for the most part, in the same cases as the present subjunctive, except for the fact that the preceding phrases are either in the conditional or imperfect tenses. So while the present subjunctive would be used with “Quero que...“ (I want (that)...), the imperfect subjunctive would be used with “Gostaría que...“ (I would like (that)..) and “Queria que...“ (I wanted (that)...). This carries across for all aspects:

  • Não pensei que ele aprendesse espanhol - I didn't think that he learnt Spanish
  • Esperávamos que todos o vissem - We hoped that everyone saw it
  • Seria improvável que ninguém viesse - It would be unlikely that no one came
  • Gostaria que lesses o livro - I’d like you to read the book

Se + Conditional

One feature of the imperfect subjunctive is the “Se + Conditional“ sentence. This is used to state hypothetical actions - which is why the subjunctive is used. This type of sentence is the only sentence where the subjunctive is still fairly identifiable in English - “If I were rich, I'd buy a mansion“. This type of sentence works exactly the same in Portuguese:

  • Se você não tivesse de trabalhar, o que faria? - If you didn't have to work, what would you do?

The sentence structure can also be flipped, starting with the conditional clause and then using the imperfect subjunctive. For example:

  • Eu falaria mais em português se tivesse mais confiança - I'd speak in Portuguese more if I had more confidence

Como se...

“Como se“ is the translation of “As if“ in Portuguese, which always uses the imperfect subjunctive. It works in the exact same ways as in English:

  • Foi como se nunca partisse - It was as if he never left
  • Como se apenas eu gostasse daquilo! - As if it were only I who liked it!

Perfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive

The perfect and pluperfect subjunctive tenses also exist in Portuguese. These are formed by either using the present subjunctive of Ter + Past Participle, or the imperfect subjunctive of Ter + Past Participle. For example:

  • É incrível que elas tenham ganhado a competição – It's incredible that they won the competition
  • Se tivéssemos sabido que o tempo seria tão mal, não teriamos ido – If we'd known the weather would be so bad, we wouldn’t have gone

How to conjugate the subjunctive - Future Tense

Portuguese is the only Romance language to still have the future subjunctive active. To conjugate the future subjunctive, take the eles/elas/vocês form of the verb in the preterite tense and remove the final -am, then add the following endings:

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Here are these endings on the verbs we looked at earlier:

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How the future subjunctive is used

The future subjunctive is used to talk about future events with uncertainty. In most other languages, either the future indicative or present subjunctive is used in these cases.

Quando...

When “Quando“ is used with a future action, the future subjunctive is used:

  • Quando sair, irei ao parque e depois ao banco – When I go out, I will go to the park and then to the bank

Remember that if “Quando“ isn’t referring to the future, the future subjunctive isn’t used:

  • Quando fui ao banco, havia muita gente - When I went to the bank there were a lot of people
  • Quando saio lembro-me sempre de levar as minhas chaves - When I go out I always remember my keys

Se...

Like “Quando“, if “Se“ is used with a future action, the future subjunctive is used:

  • Se vocês não pararem de falar, teremos de partir - If you all don't stop talking, we'll have to leave

Enquanto...

“Enquanto“, meaning “As long as“, or “While“, used with a future action uses the future subjunctive:

  • Enquanto estiveres aqui, estarei feliz - As long as you are here, I'll be happy

Compare this to the same phrase with the present indicative:

  • Enquanto estás aqui, estou feliz - As long as you are here, I'm happy

The first sentence is referring to the future, whereas the second is referring to the present.

Assim que.../Logo que...

Both “Assim que“ and “Logo que“ mean “As soon as“. Like “Quando“, “Se“, and “Enquanto“, when referring to a future action they use the future subjunctive:

  • Assim que eu tiver feito todo o meu trabalho, poderei ir convosco - As soon as I've finished all my work I'll be able to come with you
  • Ela vai-nos chamar logo que se recuperar - She is going to call us once she is better

I hope this helps!/Espero que isto ajude!


Check out my other subjunctive guides!

Spanish Subjunctive Guide | archived
Italian Subjunctive Guide | archived

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