Use

In Portuguese there are several ways to talk about the future, each with varying shades of meaning.  The present subjunctive is used to show that some idea or action is hypothetical.

For example, ‘I hope that she can come out tonight‘ is hypothetical. So is, ‘Do you want me to speak to her?’

“HYPOTHETICAL” situations include those that express desire, emotion, improbability, give commands, and to express opinion.

TRIGGERS: espero que; caso que; é importante que; é possivel que; é necessário que; get the idea?

Some examples:

Do you want me drive? > Você quer que eu diriga?

I hope that she wears jeans. > Eu espero que els use calça jeans.

It’s really important that we do it today.  > É muito importante que nós o façamos hoje.

Forming

There is a pattern to the conjugation and rather than explain it, just see if you can get it by example:

-ar present subjunctive regular verbs

that I speak	que eu fal	e
that he speaks	que ele fal	e
that we speak	que nós fal	emos
that they speak	que eles fal	em

-er and -ir present subjunctive regular verbs

that I eat	que eu com	a
that he eats	que ele com	a
that we eat	que nós com	amos
that they eat	que eles com	am

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Tags: learn brazilian portuguese, portuguese grammar, portuguese ipod, portuguese lessons

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