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.
- Talvez dê para irMaybe it's possible to go
- Vamos embora, quer queiras quer nãoWe're leaving, whether you want it or not
- 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
- pretérito 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:
- assim queas soon as, once
- sempre quewhenever
- quandowhen
- enquantowhile, as long 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
Pretérito Imperfeito do Conjuntivo (Imperfect Past Subjunctive)
The pretérito imperfeito do conjuntivo 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 pret. 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 pret. 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 pret. 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
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...
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?
Subjunctive Verb Conjugations
Finally, let’s compare the conjugations for each subjunctive tense by exploring these examples:
Future Subjunctive
Conjuntivo
Se eu falar sobre isso ela vai ficar furiosa.If I talk about that, she'll be furious.
- eu falari speakconjuntivo > futuro tu falaresYou sing.,inf. speakconjuntivo > futuro ele / ela falarHe / She speaksconjuntivo > futuro você falaryou speakconjuntivo > futuro nós falarmoswe speakconjuntivo > futuro eles / elas falaremthey speakconjuntivo > futuro vocês falaremyou speakconjuntivo > futuro
Notice that some forms look exactly the same as in the infinitive form of the verb.
Imperfect Past Subjunctive
Conjuntivo
Como se isso fosse possívelAs if that were possible
- eu fossei wereconjuntivo > imperfeito tu fossesYou sing.,inf. wereconjuntivo > imperfeito ele / ela fosseHe / She wereconjuntivo > imperfeito você fosseyou wereconjuntivo > imperfeito nós fôssemoswe wereconjuntivo > imperfeito eles / elas fossemthey wereconjuntivo > imperfeito vocês fossemyou wereconjuntivo > imperfeito
Conjuntivo
Gostaria que eles falassem mais altoI'd like it if they spoke louder.
- eu falassei spokeconjuntivo > imperfeito tu falassesYou sing.,inf. spokeconjuntivo > imperfeito ele / ela falasseHe / She spokeconjuntivo > imperfeito você falasseyou spokeconjuntivo > imperfeito nós falássemoswe spokeconjuntivo > imperfeito eles / elas falassemthey spokeconjuntivo > imperfeito vocês falassemyou spokeconjuntivo > imperfeito
Present Subjunctive
Conjuntivo
Peço-te que sejas breveI ask that you be brief sing.,inf.
Conjuntivo
Espero que tu fales primeiroI hope that you speak first.
- eu falei speakconjuntivo > presente tu falesYou sing.,inf. speakconjuntivo > presente ele / ela faleHe / She speaksconjuntivo > presente você faleyou speakconjuntivo > presente nós falemoswe speakconjuntivo > presente eles / elas falemthey speakconjuntivo > presente vocês falemyou speakconjuntivo > presente
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.
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.
The conditional can also be expressed without using it at all! In European Portuguese, it’s accepted in casual speech to replace the conditional by the imperfect past (pretérito imperfeito do indicativo), with no change in meaning. (Check the Conditional here: https://www.practiceportuguese.com/learning-notes/the-conditional-in-portuguese/ )
So, Não ficava chateado can be accepted in casual speech instead of Não ficaria chateado. The same for ficava quieto instead of ficaria quieto.
🙂
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”.
Olá. Yes, the verb ‘dar’ is irregular, including in the present subjunctive (the tense of ‘dê’). It’s definitely a very versatile verb in terms of uses/meanings, as discussed in detail in this video: The Verb “Dar” And Its Many Meanings | Practice Portuguese
In one of the examples you give above of main clauses that precede the pretérito imperfeito do conjuntivo, you have “Pensei que …”, which is the pretérito perfeito. Is that right or did you mean “Pensava que …” or “Pensaria que …”? I thought the verb in the main clause was usually in the pret. imperfeito do indicativo or in the conditional.
Olá! That example is precisely to reinforce that it’s “usually”, not “always” in the imperfect or conditional 🙂
Jfyi
That is the opening topic of B1 university course (textbook: Herminia Malcata Portugues Atual 2)
Why does pensar (penso que…) take the subjunctive but achar (acho que…) does not ? Don’t they have the same basic meaning ?
Olá! The verbs have differences between them depending on context, but both can take the subjunctive when applicable. With the verb ‘achar’, it’s especially common to see it paired with the subjunctive in affirmative past sentences or in negative sentences, such as:
– Achei que estivesses em casa (I thought you were at home)
– Não acho que funcione assim (I don’t think it works like that)
What is ‘dê’ in the sentence ‘Talvez dê para ir’ mean or what is its function in the sentence?
Olá! As answered in another comment, ‘dê’ is a present subjunctive form of the verb dar, and it’s being used idiomatically here as part of the expression ‘dar para’, which in this context means ‘to be possible’. This is why the sentence translates as “Maybe it’s possible to go”. More on the multiple uses of ‘dar’ here: The Verb “Dar” And Its Many Meanings | Practice Portuguese
Why did you use Talvez in the Pretérito Imperfeito do Conjuntivo section above? Isn’t talvez used with Present Subjunctive ?
Olá! ‘Talvez’ is often used with both subjunctive tenses. For example:
– Talvez esteja frio hoje.
– Talvez fosse melhor se ele não viesse.