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B2  ·  The Conjuntivo

The future subjunctive

The one form to be learnt from nothing: no English word corresponds to it.

The futuro do conjuntivo stands after quando, se, assim que, enquanto and logo que when something still to come is meant: quando eu chegar, se tiver tempo.

It is built from the third person plural of the pretérito by dropping -am: falaram → falar, fizeram → fizer, foram → for, tiveram → tiver.

With regular verbs it therefore looks exactly like the infinitive — falar. With irregular ones it does not, and that is where the form has to be known: quando eu fizer, never quando eu fazer.

There is nothing in English to hang it on. Every other tense here answers to something you already say: a past, a future, a conditional. This one answers to a plain present — « when I arrive, I will call » — and the Portuguese form adds an idea English simply leaves out, that the arrival is still ahead and not certain. It has to be learnt as a new thing, and it is used every day.

Die Form

when I speakquando eu falar
if I canse eu puder
when I doquando eu fizer
when he goesquando ele for
if I have timese tiver tempo
as soon as you arriveassim que chegares

Die Regeln im Einzelnen

  1. After quando and se, when the future is meant.

    Quando chegares, telefona-me.Call me when you arrive.

  2. It comes from the third person plural of the pretérito.

    Se puder, vou lá amanhã.If I can, I will go there tomorrow.

  3. With regular verbs it looks like the infinitive.

    Quando falares com ele, diz-lhe isso.When you talk to him, tell him that.

  4. With irregular ones it does not — the stem is its own.

    Quando eu fizer o exame, aviso-te.When I take the exam, I will let you know.

Woran man es erkennt

  • quando
  • se
  • assim que
  • enquanto
  • logo que

Beispielsätze

Assim que souber, digo-te.As soon as I know, I will tell you.

Se quiseres, podemos ir juntos.If you like, we can go together.

Enquanto estiver aqui, aproveita.While you are here, make the most of it.

Quando tiveres tempo, liga-me.When you have time, call me.

Die typisch deutsche Falle

Aufgepasst

After quando and se in this sense the present *never* stands. Quando chegas, telefona-me is not a sentence about the future but a question or a habit. And taking the infinitive of an irregular verb — quando eu fazer — builds a form that does not exist.

Falsch:Quando eu fazer o exame, aviso-te.
Richtig:Quando eu fizer o exame, aviso-te.

After quando and se stands the future of the subjunctive.

Jetzt selbst

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