Subjunctive Mood for Desires,

This grammar usually needs a "bridge" to work. This bridge is the word que. Most sentences follow a specific formula. You have a person wanting something. Then you have the word que. Finally, you have the person who should do the action. For example: "I want that you stay." In Portuguese: Quero que você fique. Notice how the verb ficar changed? That is the subjunctive in action. It signals that the action is a wish, not a fact. If you remove the que, the whole structure usually falls apart. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. The que is the green light to use the subjunctive. It tells the listener: "Hey, a desire is coming!"

1. 1Creating these verbs is easier than it looks. Follow these three steps for most regular verbs:
2. 2Start with the eu form of the Present Indicative. For falar, it is falo. For comer, it is como.
3. 3Drop the final o. Now you have the stem: fal- or com-.
4. 4Add the "opposite" endings. This is the fun part.
5. 5For -AR verbs, use -E endings: fale, fales, fale, falemos, falem.
6. 6For -ER and -IR verbs, use -A endings: coma, comas, coma, comamos, comam.
7. 7Yes, it feels like a swap! AR verbs act like ER verbs, and vice versa. Even native speakers had to practice this in school. If you hit an irregular verb like ser, it becomes seja. For ir, it becomes vá. Don't worry, you'll memorize the rebels soon enough.

You use this pattern whenever you express a wish. Common "trigger" verbs include querer (to want) and desejar (to wish). You also use it with esperar (to hope). Imagine you are at a birthday party. You say: Espero que você tenha um ótimo dia. You are hoping for a great day. In a job interview, you might say: Desejo que a empresa cresça. You want the company to grow. It is also perfect for ordering food for a friend. Quero que você prove este bolo. You want them to try the cake. Even the expression Tomara que (I hope/Hopefully) triggers it. Tomara que chova means "I hope it rains." Use it for any "I want/hope/wish" scenario.

Do not use the subjunctive if the subject stays the same. If I want to eat, I don't need a bridge. I just say Eu quero comer. There is no que and no subjunctive. Use the infinitive instead. Also, do not use it for facts. If you say "I know you are here," use the indicative: Sei que você está aqui. The subjunctive is for the "maybe" world. If it is 100% real and certain, stay in the indicative. Think of the indicative as the "boring reality" zone. The subjunctive is the "imagination" zone. Don't mix them up or you'll confuse your Brazilian friends.

The biggest mistake is using the indicative by habit. People often say Quero que você vai instead of Quero que você vá. It sounds a bit clunky to native ears. Another mistake is forgetting the stem change. If the eu form is irregular, the subjunctive follows it. For fazer, the eu form is faço. So the subjunctive is faça, not faze. Also, watch out for the "same subject" trap. Don't say Quero que eu vá if you just mean Quero ir. It’s redundant and a bit weird. It's like saying "I want that I go" in English. Just keep it simple when talking about yourself.

Compare the indicative and the subjunctive. Você fala português is a fact (Indicative). Quero que você fale português is a desire (Subjunctive). Notice the ending change from -A to -E. It’s a tiny change with a huge meaning. In English, we don't change the verb much. We just say "I want you to speak." Portuguese is more dramatic. It changes the whole verb to show emotion. Think of the indicative as a photograph. It shows exactly what is. Think of the subjunctive as a painting. It shows what you feel or imagine.