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The Subjunctive Mood in Portuguese (Conjuntivo)

conjuntivo - portuguese subjunctive

Conjuntivo: What is it?

What in English is called the subjunctive mood, in European Portuguese is named modo conjuntivosubjunctive mode . While the indicativoindicative mood refers to actions that are certain or real, the conjuntivo, in contrast, indicates something possible, desired, hypothetical, or even unreal. It conveys the idea of uncertainty, doubt, or hope.
It is often found in sentences that contain the word seif or after a verb + quethat , as you will notice in many (but not all) of the examples.
The conjuntivo can appear in simple sentences1 (of doubt or desire) or coordinate clauses2, but most of the time you find it in subordinate clauses3 (a.k.a. dependent clauses). In the latter case, it is preceded by conjunctions or by verbs that express doubt, will, order, permission, expectation, among others.

  1. Talvez para irMaybe it's possible to go
  2. Vamos embora, quer queiras quer nãoWe're leaving, whether you want it or not
  3. Espero que estejas bemI hope that you're doing well

Verb Tenses in the Conjuntivo

The conjuntivo includes these three distinct verb tenses:

  • futuro do conjuntivofuture subjunctive
  • imperfeito do conjuntivoimperfect (past) subjunctive
  • presente do conjuntivopresent subjunctive

The distinction between these values depends a lot on the context, verb, and words used, and it’s not always obvious which is correct. Furthermore, keep in mind that the conjuntivo in Portuguese is used much differently than the English subjunctive, so it’s most helpful to focus on the examples to “get a feel” for when to use it. We can notice some common patterns that we’ll cover below as we compare the three tenses.

Futuro do Conjuntivo (Future Subjunctive)

The future subjunctive lets you talk about something that may or may not happen in the future. Sometimes it describes a condition that must be met in order for another action to take place (i.e. If this goes well, I will do that or When we get home, I will do that). It often goes along with words like seif and other conjunctions such as:

For example:
Assim que o almoço estiver pronto, eu digo-teAs soon as the lunch is ready, I'll tell you
Podes brincar quando fizeres a camaYou can play once you make your bed
Se fores ao supermercado, diz-meIf you go to the supermarket, tell me

>Read more about the futuro do conjuntivo here

Imperfeito do Conjuntivo (Imperfect Subjunctive)

The imperfeito do conjuntivoimperfect (past) subjunctive is often used in circumstances when you are talking about something purely hypothetical or speculating about a possible action (If things were different, I would do that).
However, it can also be used to talk about a desired future action (I would like you to do that).
The imperfeito do conjuntivo is found in the dependent clause of a sentence. You may find it within clauses that use phrasing such as:

  • Se eu...If I...
  • Mesmo que...Even if...
  • Como se...As if...
  • Talvez...Maybe...
  • E se nós...?What if we...?

As you’ll see in the examples below, the main clause of the sentence usually contains a verb in the imperfeito do indicativo or in the conditional. For example:

  • Eu faria se...I would do (it) if...
  • Gostaríamos que...We would like...
  • Eu esperava que...I expected that..., I was hoping that...
  • Pensei que...I thought that...
  • Seria bom que...It would be nice if...
  • O que faria se...What would you do if...?
  • Queria que...I would like (it if) ...

This is a good way to help you remember when to use the imperfeito do conjuntivo. Let’s see some examples:
Não ficaria chateado se dissesses a verdadeI wouldn't be upset if you told the truth
Queria que trouxesses o meu casacoI wanted you to bring my coat
O ideal era que vocês estudassem maisThe ideal thing would be for you to study more

>Read more about the imperfeito do conjuntivo here

Presente do Conjuntivo (Present Subjunctive)

The presente do conjuntivo is used in most other cases. It’s for talking about something that may or may not happen (in the present or future), but that is within the realm of possibility. The other verb in the sentence tends to be in the presente do indicativo along with the word que , such as with clauses beginning with:

  • Espero que...I hope that...
  • É importante que...It's important that...
  • É bom que...It would be good if..., Literal - It is good that...
  • Receio que...I'm afraid that...
  • Duvido que...I doubt that...
  • Desejo que...I wish that...
  • Quer que eu...Do you want me to...?

Here are some examples:
Não gosta que olhem para eleHe doesn't like people looking at him
Espero que ganhesI hope that you (sing.,inf.) win
Quer que eu fale com ela?Do you want me to talk to her?

>Read more about the presente do conjuntivo here

Subjunctive Verb Conjugations

Finally, let’s compare the conjugations for each subjunctive tense by exploring these examples:

Future Subjunctive

Conjuntivo

Quando nós formos ricos vamos a um casino.When we're rich, we'll go to a casino.

    eu forI am tu foresYou sing.,inf. are ele / ela forHe / She is você foryou formal are nós formosWe are eles / elas foremthey are vocês foremyou pl. are

Conjuntivo

Se eu falar sobre isso ela vai ficar furiosa.If I talk about that, she'll be furious.

    eu falarI speak tu falaresYou sing.,inf. speak ele / ela falarHe / She speaks você falaryou formal speak nós falarmosWe speak eles / elas falaremthey speak vocês falaremyou pl. speak

Notice that some forms look exactly the same as in the infinitive form of the verb.

Imperfect Subjunctive

Conjuntivo

Talvez fosse mais fácil se ele chamasse pelo nomeMaybe it would be easier if he called by name.

    eu fosseI were tu fossesYou sing.,inf. were ele / ela fosseHe / She were você fosseyou formal were nós fôssemoswe were eles / elas fossemthey were vocês fossemyou pl. were

Conjuntivo

Ela queria que eu falasse com o JoãoShe wanted me to talk to João

    eu falasseI spoke tu falassesYou sing.,inf. spoke ele / ela falasseHe / She spoke você falasseyou formal spoke nós falássemoswe spoke eles / elas falassemthey spoke vocês falassemyou pl. spoke

Present Subjunctive

Conjuntivo

Espero que vocês sejam felizesI hope youpl. are happy

    eu sejaI am tu sejasYou sing.,inf. are ele / ela sejaHe / She is você sejayou formal are nós sejamosWe are eles / elas sejamthey are vocês sejamyou pl. are

Conjuntivo

Espero que tu fales primeiroI hope that you speak first.

    eu faleI speak tu falesYou sing.,inf. speak ele / ela faleHe / She speaks você faleyou formal speak nós falemosWe speak eles / elas falemthey speak vocês falemyou pl. speak

Notice that the imperative mood shares the same verb endings as the presente do conjuntivo (2nd person singular and plural), with the presente do conjuntivo filling in the gaps for the other personal pronouns that are missing from the imperativo. Thus, you’ll notice these same forms used for commands and requests, such as Sejam felizes!Be happy! (pl.)

Learning More

In the next series of lessons, you will practice using the Present Subjunctive. After that, you can continue on to our other conjuntivo units: Imperfect Subjunctive and Future Subjunctive.

Comments

  • I really appreciate having all 3 tenses laid out together in this format. It’s a lot to take in, but having them introduced together makes it a bit more manageable for me. This is officially my first bookmarked lesson 😉

  • I like that there are phrases already constructed. I hope that in the future, there will be a list of common subjunctive phrases!

  • One difficulty I have with these concepts is that most are terms I’ve never heard of in English grammar. I assume a native Portuguese speaker wouldn’t have to go through an internal debate about which of these tenses to use while in casual conversation? It’s certainly not something we think about in English.

    • Exactly! In your native language it just “makes sense”, but in a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th…) language it’s more complicated because you are learning it deliberately. We wouldn’t have to consciously think about these grammar rules in English. I think when you start to get into more advanced grammar, practicing with the examples becomes more helpful than the descriptions. 😊

      • Thanks for the reply Molly. It’s clearly a very steep learning curve, unless you are some kind of language polyglot. I think it’s somewhat disingenuous when some of the language tools make statements like “Learn a new language in a month!” For most of us it’s a much longer process and the only solution is to keep plugging away. I came across the following description of Portuguese verbs that does a good job at highlighting why it’s such a difficult process. I only understand about half of what’s explained here! 🙂


        Verbs are highly inflected: there are three tenses (past, present, future), three moods (indicative, subjunctive, imperative), three aspects (perfective, imperfective, and progressive), three voices (active, passive, reflexive), and an inflected infinitive. Most perfect and imperfect tenses are synthetic, totaling 11 conjugational paradigms, while all progressive tenses and passive constructions are periphrastic. There is also an impersonal passive construction, with the agent replaced by an indefinite pronoun. Portuguese is generally an SVO language, although SOV syntax may occur with a few object pronouns, and word order is generally not as rigid as in English. It is a null subject language, with a tendency to drop object pronouns as well, in colloquial varieties. Like Spanish, it has two main copular verbs: ser and estar.

        • Yikes! Yep, that’s a perfect example. Unless you’re really into grammar you could probably ignore all of that. 😅 I would say the main “take-away” is just… The way a verb is conjugated gives you information about the tense and other grammatical features. Portuguese word order is more flexible than English, but it’s generally SVO (subject-verb-object). Like Spanish, Portuguese has 2 main verbs for “to be”: ser and estar.

  • It really helps me a lot on understanding this tricky tense! 😂 Thank you so much for making such a detailed explanation! I saw a sentence on textbook “Não vale a pena ficares nervosa!” (It isn’t worth to be nervous/Don’t need to be nervous). I don’t really understand why future tense is used here. Shouldn’t it be present tense? I would be very appreciated if anyone can explain it to me 😀

    • Olá! Muito obrigado pelo comentário 🙂 Regarding your example, “ficares” is actually in the 2nd-person personal infinitive, not in the future subjunctive. It’s understandably hard to tell them apart because the verb form looks the same in both cases.

      • Wow, I even didn’t know the “personal infinitive” tense existed! 😂 Now I’m gonna read your lesson about it 🤓 Thanks for the reply!

  • ‘Verbs are highly inflected: there are three tenses (past, present, future), three moods (indicative, subjunctive, imperative), three aspects (perfective, imperfective, and progressive), three voices (active, passive, reflexive), and an inflected infinitive. Most perfect and imperfect tenses are synthetic, totaling 11 conjugational paradigms, while all progressive tenses and passive constructions are periphrastic. There is also an impersonal passive construction, with the agent replaced by an indefinite pronoun. Portuguese is generally an SVO language, although SOV syntax may occur with a few object pronouns, and word order is generally not as rigid as in English. It is a null subject language, with a tendency to drop object pronouns as well, in colloquial varieties. Like Spanish, it has two main copular verbs: ser and estar.’

    I am going to learn this paragraph off by heart so that next time I’m with some non-Portuguese person and they say ‘It’s such a struggle to learn the language’ I’ll be able to recite the precise reasons why! 🙂 🙂

  • The imperfect subjunctive chart for ser lists the translation for “eu fosse” as “I were” instead of “I was.” Just a tiny thing, but wanted to let you know.

    • This is because the translation frequently ends up being “I were” within a sentence. For example:

      “If I were you…” or “If I were rich…” or “If I were to visit Portugal…”

      That said, it can be “I was” in other contexts. We’ve gone back and forth on how to present this, because I know seeing “I were” by itself is odd/confusing. But we thought maybe at least it would help draw attention to the fact that this tense works differently, so that you don’t see “I was” and think it’s regular past tense.

  • Hi, can you please explain why in this example you use – ficaria:
    Não ficaria chateado se dissesses a verdade
    I wouldn’t be upset if you told the truth
    And in this one – ficava (but not ficaria as well)
    Se eu fosse a ti , ficava quieto
    If I were you (sing.,inf.), I’d keep quiet
    Are these tenses interchangeable in this case?
    Thank you in advance.

  • In the example “Talvez dê para ir”, dê is one of the many conjugated forms of the verb “dar”, which I can see.
    But I have 2 questions : (a) Is “dê” a special transformation / conjugated form i.e. irregular ? (b) “Dar” carries other meanings than “give” as said in the example above. I only know that “dar” means “give”.

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