Subjuntivo — usos avançados
Subjuntivo — usos avançados means “Advanced subjunctive: relative clauses with an indefinite or negated antecedent, concessive intensifiers, and optative expressions.”. The subjunctive shows up in three advanced contexts. Formation: [antecedente indefinido/negado] que + subjuntivo · por mais/menos que + subj · nem que + subj · talvez + subj · tomara que / oxalá + subj
Advanced subjunctive: relative clauses with an indefinite or negated antecedent, concessive intensifiers, and optative expressions.
C1Formation
[antecedente indefinido/negado] que + subjuntivo · por mais/menos que + subj · nem que + subj · talvez + subj · tomara que / oxalá + subj
Explanation
The subjunctive shows up in three advanced contexts. First, in relative clauses whose antecedent is indefinite or negated: 'Preciso de alguém que saiba inglês' (I need someone who knows English) or 'Não há ninguém que possa me ajudar' (There's no one who can help me) — when the referent is real and known, the indicative is used instead ('Conheço alguém que sabe inglês'). Second, with concessive intensifiers such as 'por mais/menos que' (no matter how much), 'por melhor que', 'nem que' (even if), 'custe o que custar' (whatever it costs), and 'seja como for' (whatever the case), all of which require the subjunctive. Third, in optative expressions: 'talvez' (maybe) before the verb, 'tomara que' and 'oxalá' (I hope), plus fixed formulas like 'Deus te abençoe' (God bless you). For Spanish speakers the structure is nearly identical, so transfer is strong; note that Brazilian 'tomara que' matches Spanish 'ojalá'.
Examples
Note
For Spanish speakers the parallel is nearly total: 'necesito a alguien que sepa', 'por más que intente', 'ojalá venga'. Brazilian 'tomara que' equals 'ojalá'. Watch the position of 'talvez': before the verb it takes the subjunctive ('Talvez ele venha'), but after the verb it allows the indicative ('Ele vem, talvez').
FAQ
Subjuntivo — usos avançados — what does it mean and how is it used?
Advanced subjunctive: relative clauses with an indefinite or negated antecedent, concessive intensifiers, and optative expressions.. The subjunctive shows up in three advanced contexts. First, in relative clauses whose antecedent is indefinite or negated: 'Preciso de alguém que saiba inglês' (I need someone who knows English) or 'Não há ninguém que possa me ajudar' (There's no one who can help me) — when the referent is real and known, the indicative is used instead ('Conheço alguém que sabe inglês'). Second, with concessive intensifiers such as 'por mais/menos que' (no matter how much), 'por melhor que', 'nem que' (even if), 'custe o que custar' (whatever it costs), and 'seja como for' (whatever the case), all of which require the subjunctive. Third, in optative expressions: 'talvez' (maybe) before the verb, 'tomara que' and 'oxalá' (I hope), plus fixed formulas like 'Deus te abençoe' (God bless you). For Spanish speakers the structure is nearly identical, so transfer is strong; note that Brazilian 'tomara que' matches Spanish 'ojalá'.
Subjuntivo — usos avançados — how do you form it?
[antecedente indefinido/negado] que + subjuntivo · por mais/menos que + subj · nem que + subj · talvez + subj · tomara que / oxalá + subj
Subjuntivo — usos avançados — any usage notes?
For Spanish speakers the parallel is nearly total: 'necesito a alguien que sepa', 'por más que intente', 'ojalá venga'. Brazilian 'tomara que' equals 'ojalá'. Watch the position of 'talvez': before the verb it takes the subjunctive ('Talvez ele venha'), but after the verb it allows the indicative ('Ele vem, talvez').