By Ana Luiza Bergamini
Hello again - this time we'll take a quick look at the context in which the Present Subjunctive is used. The Subjunctive Mood includes Present, Imperfect and Future and is, generally speaking, used when the situation concerned is just a possibility at the moment it is being communicated.
The Indicative Mood, on the other hand, expresses real or sure facts, decisions and opinions: Eu fui ao dentista [I went to the dentist - Past Simple]; Ela não gosta de tomate [She doesn't like tomatoes - Present Simple]; Quando eu era criança eu jogava tênis [When I was a child I used to play tennis - Imperfect].
To see how the Subjunctive would work, take Present Subjunctive: as the name indicates, it is used when there is present expression of hope, uncertainty, desire, emotion, wish or a demand. Right now, a person hopes for something to happen, doubts someone will do something, enjoys someone's actions and so on.
So the part where you say "I hope..." (Eu espero que...) is in the Present Simple (Indicative). Present Subjunctive comes in when you describe what it is you hope for: "...she'll arrive on time" (...ela chegue a tempo).
"...ela chegue a tempo" is called a subordinate clause. Think of a subordinate clause as a sentence that contains both subject (ela) and verb (chegue), and yet can't stand alone as a sentence because it doesn't provide a complete thought. Present Subjunctive will almost always appear in a subordinate clause, like in the examples below:
Tip: notice that you'll always use que to connect the two clauses, except when you start your sentence with 'talvez' (perhaps): Talvez a festa seja ótima. Talvez ela chegue na hora. Talvez a gente faça a tarefa.
Rita Koeser, from New Jersey, kindly allowed me to share her great question on using Present Subjunctive for emotion:
The other day I wanted to say this to a friend who was helping me with something... "Fico feliz que voce (quer) me ajudar" (I am happy that you want to help me.)
I thought I should use "queira", the subjunctive, instead of "quer", Present Simple, because of the emotion but my Portuguese teacher said to use the regular present "quer" like I did [...] I'm confused about when to use it and when not.
Answer: Strictly speaking, you'd have to use the subjunctive as the books say, since you're expressing a present emotion about someone's actions.
In informal spoken language, however, the subjunctive is not always used when we start the sentence with "ficar feliz/triste que", "estar feliz/triste que", "achar legal que"...... Brazilians sometimes 'get around' the subjunctive by using indicative tenses like the Simple Present.
You might hear this in a conversation: Ele está triste que os primos dele não vêm [He's sad that his cousins aren't coming ]--> vêm = Simple Present. This is the correct way to say it: Ele está triste que os primos dele não venham --> venham = Present Subjunctive.
So... I guess it's up to you!
Practice the Present Subjunctive by yourself:
Think of something and express how believable you think it is.
Com 30 reais, você pode fazer uma boa refeição em São Paulo.
[With 30 reais, you can have a good meal in São Paulo]
With the subjunctive:
Não acredito que, com 30 reais, eu possa fazer uma boa refeição em São Paulo. (I can't believe that...)
É possível que com 30 reais eu possa fazer uma boa refeição em São Paulo. (It's possible that...)
Express your feelings about something:
O estádio do Pacaembú fica lotado quando tem jogo.
(The Pacaembu stadium gets packed when there's a game)
With the subjunctive:
Eu acho ótimo que o estádio fique lotado quando tem jogo. (I think it's great that...)
É uma droga que o estádio fique lotado quando tem jogo. (It sucks that...)
Think of a situation where you get to determine what happens:
Eu quero que a minha mesa seja preta. (I want my desk to be black)
Eu exijo que tenha janela na minha sala. (I demand that there's a window in my office)
Eu prefiro que vocês façam a reunião amanhã. (I'd rather for you to do the meeting tomorrow)
Tip: 'querer', 'duvidar', 'é possível', 'é improvável', etc, are only a few of the verbs and expressions used in conjunction with verbs in the Present Subjuntive. Take a look at your Portuguese books for more.
Ana Luiza Bergamini is a private Portuguese teacher in São Paulo. She can be contacted at ana@practicalportuguese.com.
Previous articles by Ana Luiza:
Brazil: Portuguese Tips - Esse vs. Isso
Brazil: Portuguese Tips - The Letter "R"
Brazil: Portuguese Tips - 3 tips for beginners
Brazil: Portuguese Tips - Using Deixar in Your Conversation
Brazil: Portuguese Tips - Expressions with 'Dar'
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