When in Doubt...Use o Conjuntivo" How to use the subjunctive mood to express doubt, uncertainty, or possibility in European Portuguese.

When in Doubt...Use o Conjuntivo" How to use the subjunctive mood to express doubt, uncertainty, or possibility in European Portuguese.

Without a shadow of a doubt, I'm going to assume that you too are faced with endless decisions, important and inane alike, and have to grapple with how to express yourself in the face of these choices. How would we go about conceptualizing and expressing these conditions in Portuguese? That's where the subjunctive verbal mode might be useful. The subjunctive mood (o modo conjuntivo) is used to express doubt, uncertainty, or possibility. It is used to express situations that are not necessarily real or certain. Here are three examples of how the subjunctive mood is used in Portuguese:
    1. "Eu duvide que ela venha." - I doubt that she will come.
    2. "Eu não sei se ele possa nos ajudar." - I don't know if he can help us.
    3. "Eu quero que você esteja aqui." - I want you to be here.

In these examples, the subjunctive mood is used to express doubt (in the first sentence), uncertainty (in the second sentence), and possibility (in the third sentence). It is formed using the present subjunctive of the verb, which is conjugated differently for each subject.

I'm sure you're thinking, "Well, what are the regular verb terminations for verbs conjugated in the subjunctive mood?"

 

Here are the conjugated endings for regular verbs that have an infinitive form ending in -ar in the subjunctive mood are as follows:
        1. -e for the first person singular (eu)
        2. -es for the second person singular (tu) and
        3. -e for the third person singular/you formal (ele/ela/você)
        4. -emos for the first person plural (nós)
        5. -eis for the second person plural (vós)
        6. -em for the third person plural (eles/elas/vocês)

... and the endings for regular -er and -ir verbs: 

        1. -a for the first person singular (eu)
        2. -as for the second person singular (tu) and
        3. -a for the third person singular/you formal (ele/ela/você)
        4. -amos for the first person plural (nós)
        5. -ais for the second person plural (vós)
        6. -am for the third person plural (eles/elas/vocês)

Check out these example to see how these verb terminations are used to conjugate the verb "falar" (to speak) in the subjunctive mood:

Eu fale - I speak (first person singular)

Tu fales - You speak (second person singular)

Ele/Ela/Você fale - He/She/You (formal) speaks (third person singular/you formal)

Nós falemos - We speak (first person plural)

Vós faleis - You (formal/plural) speak (second person plural)

Eles/Elas/Vocês falem - They/You speak (third person/you plural)

All verbs in the subjunctive mood follow the same pattern of conjugation, with the verb terminations listed above being added to the stem of the verb.

For regular verbs, the stem of the verb is the infinitive form minus the ending (-ar, -er, or -ir). For example, the stem of the verb "falar" (to speak) is "fal-" and the stem of the verb "comer" (to eat) is "com-". The verb terminations are then added to the stem to form the conjugated verbs in the subjunctive mood.

Here is an example of how the verb "comer" (to eat), an -er verb, would be conjugated in the subjunctive mood using the regular verb terminations:

Eu coma - I eat (first person singular)

Tu comas - You eat (second person singular)

Ele/Ela/Você coma - He/She/You (formal) eats (third person singular/you formal)

Nós comamos - We eat (first person plural)

Vós comais - You (formal/plural) eat (second person plural)

Eles/Elas/Vocês comam - They/You eat (third person/you plural)

Here is an example of how an -ir verb, such as "partir" (to leave), would be conjugated in the subjunctive mood using the regular verb terminations:

Eu parta - I leave (first person singular)

Tu partas - You leave (second person singular)

Ele/Ela/Você parta - He/She/You (formal) leaves (third person singular/you formal)

Nós partamos - We leave (first person plural)

Vós partais - You (formal/plural) leave (second person plural)

Eles/Elas/Vocês partam - They leave (third person/you plural)

 

Esta explicação ajudou? Que achas?

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