Present subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese

Key words: subjunctive, hope, doubt, and purpose

• modo subjuntivo🔊subjunctive
• esperar🔊hope
• duvidar🔊doubt
• para🔊in order to
• para que🔊so that

Regular present subjunctive endings for falar, comer, and abrir

Present subjunctive forms of ser, estar, ter, ir, saber, and dar

Hope: esperar que + another subject + the subjunctive

Espero que sujeito verbo no presente do subjuntivo complemento.

• Eu espero que minha irmã fale com a professora hoje.🔊

  I hope my sister speaks to the teacher today.

• A gente espera que as crianças comam bem na escola.🔊

  We hope the children eat well at school.

• Ela espera que o filho dela vire professor.🔊

  She hopes her son becomes a teacher.

A different subject after querer: que + the subjunctive

Quero que outro sujeito verbo no presente do subjuntivo complemento.

• Quero que ele abra a loja às nove.🔊

  I want him to open the shop at nine.

The same subject after querer: use the infinitive

Quero verbo no infinitivo complemento.

• Quero abrir a loja às nove.🔊

  I want to open the shop at nine.

Reactions and evaluations: que + the subjunctive

avaliação que sujeito verbo no presente do subjuntivo.

• Fico feliz que minha mãe esteja aqui.🔊

  I'm happy my mother is here.

• É uma pena que a loja feche tão cedo.🔊

  It's a pity the shop closes so early.

Doubt: duvidar que + the subjunctive

Duvido que sujeito verbo no presente do subjuntivo complemento.

• Eu duvido que ele saiba a resposta.🔊

  I doubt he knows the answer.

• Ela duvida que eles tenham dinheiro suficiente.🔊

  She doubts they have enough money.

Purpose with the same subject: para + the infinitive

sujeito ação principal para verbo no infinitivo complemento.

• Estudo todas as noites pra passar na prova.🔊

  I study every evening to pass the test.

• Ela trabalha de casa pra passar mais tempo com os filhos.🔊

  She works from home to spend more time with her children.

Purpose with another subject: para que + the subjunctive

sujeito ação principal para que outro sujeito verbo no presente do subjuntivo complemento.

• Explico o exercício para que meu filho entenda.🔊

  I explain the exercise so that my son understands it.

• Ela fala devagar para que todo mundo entenda.🔊

  She speaks slowly so that everyone understands.

Choose the mood by meaning: uncertainty or reaction versus an asserted fact

English uses ordinary indicative forms in “I hope my sister speaks” and “I doubt he knows”; Brazilian Portuguese normally uses the subjunctive after esperar que for hope and duvidar que for doubt, as in “Eu espero que minha irmã fale com a professora hoje” and “Eu duvido que ele saiba a resposta.”

For regular verbs, remove the final -o from the present indicative eu form and add -e, -es, -e, -emos, -em for -ar verbs, or -a, -as, -a, -amos, -am for -er and -ir verbs, following the person rows in the table; tenha follows this method, while seja, esteja, vá, saiba, and dê have irregular forms to learn. Use the subjunctive after wishes with a different subject, reactions, and doubt, as in “Quero que ele abra a loja às nove” and “Fico feliz que minha mãe esteja aqui”; when the person who wants to do something will also do it, use the infinitive, as in “Quero abrir a loja às nove.”

A reaction can describe a real fact, so “Fico feliz que minha mãe esteja aqui” does not mean her presence is uncertain. For purpose, para + infinitive is usual when the subject stays the same, while para que + subjunctive expresses a purpose involving another subject; pra in “Estudo todas as noites pra passar na prova” is a conversational, informal written form of para. Use the indicative for knowledge presented as certain, as in “Eu sei que ele sabe a resposta” and “Eu sei que minha mãe está aqui”; você is common everyday address, o senhor and a senhora generally show greater formality or respect, and all three take the singular form shown for ele/ela, as does a gente (“we”), while vocês and os senhores/as senhoras take the plural forms, and tu with traditional agreement is regional, though some Brazilian varieties use tu with third-person singular verbs.

• Fico feliz que minha mãe esteja aqui.🔊

  I'm happy my mother is here.

• Eu duvido que ele saiba a resposta.🔊

  I doubt he knows the answer.

• Eu sei que ele sabe a resposta.🔊

  I know he knows the answer.

• Eu sei que minha mãe está aqui.🔊

  I know my mother is here.