Subjunctive Mood: Overview

From: Portuguese, An Essential Guide 

The Indicative mood expresses real facts whereas the Subjunctive mood expresses facts which are uncertain, doubtful, eventual or even unreal:

• Hoje vamos fazer um piquenique, por isso espero que não chova.
• Today we are going for a picnic, so I hope it does not rain.

The use of the Subjunctive in Portuguese is far more frequent than in English. In English, the Subjunctive mood usually expresses a hypothetical situation. That is why it is often used in children’s books where make believe plays an important role in the child’s imagination.

• Example:
• Jack slipped into the giant’s room without making a noise, as if he were a little mouse.
• João entrou no quarto do gigante sem fazer barulho, como se fosse um ratinho.

The tenses of the Subjunctive mood in Portuguese have regular conjugations, thus they should not present a problem for the foreign student/learner. There are set circumstances, verbs and phrases that require its use. Above all, remember that the Subjunctive in Portuguese is the mood that expresses doubts and hypotheses. It is also linked to the idea of commands, wishing, feeling and necessity. It normally appears in subordinate or dependent clauses.

The mnemonic below may help you remember when to use the Subjunctive in Portuguese:

W E I R D
W Wishes
E Emotion or feeling
I Imperatives and indirect commands
R Requests
D Doubt, uncertainty and hypotheses

The Subjunctive is used after the following verbs and expressions:

(a) Wishing:

• oxalá 
• esperar que 
• querer que
• tomara que 
• ser bom que/se 
• pedir que
• Deus queira que

(b) Emotion or feeling:

• lamentar que 
• estar contente que
• ser pena que/se 
• estar triste que
• ser bom que/se 
• estar satisfeito que

(c) Imperatives and indirect commands:

The Imperative form is usually borrowed from the Subjunctive, except for the second person, tu and vós. It is also used after verbs that express an indirect command:

• querer que 
• mandar que 
• requerer que
• recomendar que
• ordenar que
• exigir que

(d) Requests:

• desejar que 
• esperar que
• agradecer que 
• pedir que

(e) Doubt, uncertainty or hypotheses:

• duvidar que
• pode ser que 
• talvez
• não achar que 
• ser provável/improvável que 
• se
• não parecer que 
• ser possível/impossível que 
• caso

(f) Necessity:

• ser preciso que 
• ser necessário que 
• ser importante que

(g) Other conjunctions and adverbs:

• embora 
• por muito que
• logo que
• mesmo que 
• por pouco que 
• enquanto
• ainda que 
• quem quer que 
• sempre que
• para que 
• onde quer que 
• como se
• por mais que 
• o que quer que 
• assim que
• por menos que 
• quando

Additional note: The following require the use of the present or imperfect subjunctive: caso (in case), antes que (before), ainda que/posto que (although or even if), unless (a nao ser que or a menos que), a que (to), in order to (a fim de que), unless or without (sem que), para que (so that, in order to), even if (mesmo que, nem que), although (embora), provided that (contanto que), as soon as (logo que/assim que)).