Quero Que Você Faça: The Portuguese Subjunctive After ‘Want’ — Practice

Use que when the second clause has its own subject

A common subjunctive pattern appears when a person expresses a wish, preference, recommendation, or hope about someone else’s action: quero que você faça (I want you to do it). The word que connects the two clauses, and the verb after it changes form.

Compare quero estudar (I want to study) with quero que você estude (I want you to study). When the same person does both actions, the infinitive is natural. When the subject changes, que + a conjugated verb makes that relationship explicit.

Learn a few high-use subjunctive forms

Regular verbs often form the present subjunctive from the first-person present-tense base. For falar, the forms include fale, fales, falemos, and falem; for comer, common forms include coma and comam. Brazilian speakers use você with third-person verb forms, so quero que você fale is a useful everyday pattern.

Several common verbs have forms worth recognizing: seja from ser, esteja from estar, tenha from ter, and vá from ir. You do not need to memorize every table before speaking. Start with a phrase frame and replace the subject or verb as your needs grow.

Remember: When the wish or recommendation concerns another subject, try que + present subjunctive: quero que você faça, espero que ela venha, prefiro que a gente vá.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I want to practice after work.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Quero praticar depois do trabalho.

2. I want you to practice with me.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Quero que você pratique comigo.

3. I hope she arrives early.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Espero que ela chegue cedo.

4. I’d prefer that we go earlier.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Prefiro que a gente vá mais cedo.

5. It’s important that you be prepared.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   É importante que você esteja preparado.

6. I hope they have time.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Espero que eles tenham tempo.

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

When the wish or recommendation concerns another subject, try que + present subjunctive: quero que você faça, espero que ela venha, prefiro que a gente vá.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Quero Que Você Faça: The Portuguese Subjunctive After ‘Want’ lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.