You normally meet the subjunctive in a subordinate clause, triggered by a verb of wishing, doubt, or emotion in front of it: Quero que ele venha. But Portuguese also lets the subjunctive stand alone in a main clause, with no trigger verb at all, to voice a wish, a command, or a concession. This is the optative / jussive subjunctive, and it powers a whole class of set phrases that Brazilians use every day — from Que Deus te abençoe to seja como for. This page maps those uses so you can both understand and produce them.
Why a main clause can be subjunctive
The subjunctive's deep job is to mark an action as not (yet) real — desired, hypothetical, willed into being rather than asserted as fact. In a subordinate clause an upstream verb supplies that "unreal" framing. But the mood carries that meaning by itself, so when you put a verb in the subjunctive at the head of a sentence, the listener still hears "this is wished/ordered, not stated." No trigger is needed; the mood is the trigger.
Que tenha um bom dia!
Have a good day!
There's no main verb governing tenha — the bare Que + subjunctive delivers the wish on its own.
Wishes — the optative subjunctive
"Que + present subjunctive" — the everyday wish
The most productive pattern is Que + present subjunctive: a freestanding wish or blessing. English usually renders it with "may…" or an imperative-flavored "have/let."
Que Deus te abençoe!
May God bless you!
Que tudo dê certo na sua entrevista!
May everything go well in your interview!
Que você seja muito feliz!
May you be very happy!
"Tomara que" — "I hope / let's hope"
Tomara que + present subjunctive is the colloquial Brazilian way to say "I really hope that." It is informal and extremely common.
Tomara que não chova no dia do casamento.
Let's hope it doesn't rain on the wedding day.
Tomara que dê tudo certo!
I really hope it all works out!
"Viva!" / "Morra!" — frozen optatives
A handful of third-person present subjunctives have frozen into exclamations of acclaim or condemnation. Viva! (from viver) literally means "may [it] live," i.e., "long live / hooray."
Viva o Brasil!
Long live Brazil!
Vivam os noivos!
Hooray for the newlyweds!
Note that viva still agrees in number — vivam with a plural subject (os noivos). These are fixed, slightly elevated, and you'll meet them in toasts, slogans, and celebrations.
Exhortations and commands — the jussive subjunctive
The subjunctive also issues commands and exhortations, especially for persons the imperative can't reach directly — the first-person plural ("let's…") and the third person ("let them…").
Sejamos honestos: ninguém estava preparado para isso.
Let's be honest: nobody was ready for this.
Que entrem!
Let them come in! / Have them come in!
Que ninguém saia da sala antes do sinal.
Let no one leave the room before the bell.
The first-person plural subjunctive (sejamos, façamos, vamos) is in fact the standard "let's" command — the so-called imperativo for nós is borrowed from the present subjunctive. The third-person Que entrem! feels a touch formal or theatrical (a host, an announcer, a judge), but it is fully current.
Hypothetical and concessive set phrases
A small but high-frequency group of frozen concessive expressions uses the subjunctive to mean "no matter how / whatever / come what may." They often double the verb or pair a subjunctive with a relative.
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| seja como for | be that as it may / however it may be |
| seja o que for | whatever it may be |
| custe o que custar | cost what it may / at any cost |
| venha o que vier | come what may |
| doa a quem doer | no matter who it hurts |
Seja como for, a gente termina o projeto até sexta.
Be that as it may, we'll finish the project by Friday.
Vou defender minha tese, custe o que custar.
I'm going to defend my thesis, whatever it costs.
Venha o que vier, estaremos juntos.
Come what may, we'll be together.
The pattern is striking: a present subjunctive followed by the future subjunctive of the same or a related verb (custe… custar, venha… vier, seja… for). It crystallizes "whatever / however much" into two words. These are idiomatic blocks — learn them whole rather than trying to derive each one.
"Quem dera" — the wistful subjunctive
Quem dera (literally "who would give") is a fixed exclamation meaning "if only / I wish." It introduces an imperfect subjunctive wish that's contrary to fact, much like English "I wish I could."
Quem dera eu pudesse viajar com você.
I wish I could travel with you.
Quem dera fosse tão fácil assim!
If only it were that easy!
Because the wish is unreal (you can't, in fact, travel), it takes the imperfect subjunctive (pudesse, fosse), not the present — a neat illustration of how the subjunctive tense tracks how far from reality the wish lies.
Common Mistakes
❌ Que Deus te abençoa.
Incorrect — a freestanding 'Que…' wish requires the subjunctive abençoe, not the indicative abençoa.
✅ Que Deus te abençoe.
May God bless you.
❌ Tomara que tudo dá certo.
Incorrect — 'tomara que' triggers the subjunctive dê, not the indicative dá.
✅ Tomara que tudo dê certo.
I hope everything works out.
❌ Quem dera eu posso ir com você.
Incorrect — an unreal 'I wish' takes the imperfect subjunctive pudesse, not the present indicative posso.
✅ Quem dera eu pudesse ir com você.
I wish I could go with you.
❌ Viva os noivos!
Incorrect — the optative 'viva' agrees in number; with a plural subject it must be vivam.
✅ Vivam os noivos!
Hooray for the newlyweds!
❌ Seja como é, a gente termina o projeto.
Incorrect — the frozen concessive pairs subjunctive with future subjunctive: seja como for, not the indicative é.
✅ Seja como for, a gente termina o projeto.
Be that as it may, we'll finish the project.
Key Takeaways
- The subjunctive can stand alone in a main clause to express a wish, command, or concession — the mood itself signals "unreal," so no trigger verb is needed.
- Wishes: Que + present subjunctive (Que tenha um bom dia), Tomara que (informal hope), and frozen Viva! / Vivam!
- Exhortations: first-person Sejamos honestos ("let's…") and third-person Que entrem! ("let them…") — the same forms the imperative borrows.
- Concessives are fixed blocks of present + future subjunctive: seja como for, custe o que custar, venha o que vier.
- Quem dera introduces a contrary-to-fact wish in the imperfect subjunctive: quem dera eu pudesse.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Subjunctive in Main ClausesB2 — The jussive and optative subjunctive — using 'Que Deus te abençoe!', 'Viva o Brasil!', and 'Quem dera eu pudesse...' to express wishes, blessings, and exhortations in independent clauses.
- Idiomatic Subjunctive ConstructionsB2 — Fossilized subjunctive expressions like 'tomara que', 'quem dera', and 'custe o que custar' that live outside the standard trigger rules — including the everyday Brazilian way to say 'fingers crossed'.
- Presente do Subjuntivo: Irregular VerbsA2 — The irregular present subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese — most forms come from the 1sg present indicative, plus six truly suppletive verbs to memorize.
- Imperfeito do Subjuntivo: UsageB1 — When to use the imperfect subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese — hypothetical 'se' clauses, past-tense triggers, 'como se', and softened wishes.
- The Subjunctive in BR Portuguese: OverviewA2 — What the subjunctive is, why Brazilian Portuguese keeps all three of its tenses fully alive, and what triggers it.