A temporal clause (oração temporal) locates the main event in time relative to another event: "when I arrive," "while you wait," "before it rains," "after we eat." Portuguese temporal connectors are easy to list, but they hide the single biggest mood surprise for English speakers: when a temporal clause refers to the future, Portuguese uses the future subjunctive, where English just uses the present.
English says "When I get there, I'll call you" — present tense in the time clause. Portuguese says Quando eu *chegar lá, te ligo — the verb *chegar is in the future subjunctive (futuro do subjuntivo), a tense English doesn't have at all. This page sorts the connectors by what mood and tense they trigger, with the future subjunctive front and center.
Quando — the pivot connector
Quando ("when") is the clearest illustration of the whole system, because it behaves differently depending on the time it refers to.
Future reference → future subjunctive. If the "when" points to something that hasn't happened yet, the verb goes in the future subjunctive.
Quando eu chegar em casa, te ligo.
When I get home, I'll call you.
Quando você puder, me manda o documento.
When you can, send me the document.
Chegar and puder look like infinitives here but they are the future subjunctive (for regular verbs it happens to match the personal infinitive; for irregulars like poder → puder it doesn't). The point a future-temporal quando makes is "at the future moment that X occurs" — and that not-yet-realized future moment is exactly what the future subjunctive marks.
Habitual or past reference → indicative. If "when" describes a habit or a past event, you use the ordinary indicative.
Quando eu era criança, passava as férias na praia.
When I was a kid, I'd spend the holidays at the beach. (past/habitual → imperfect indicative)
Quando ele chegou, a reunião já tinha começado.
When he arrived, the meeting had already started. (past → preterite indicative)
Enquanto — "while / as long as"
Enquanto works just like quando: indicative for present/past simultaneity, future subjunctive for a future stretch of time ("as long as").
Enquanto você cozinha, eu arrumo a mesa.
While you cook, I'll set the table. (present simultaneity → indicative)
Enquanto eu estiver aqui, nada de mal vai te acontecer.
As long as I'm here, nothing bad will happen to you. (future → future subjunctive estiver)
Assim que / logo que — "as soon as"
These mean "as soon as." For future events they take the future subjunctive; for past events, the indicative.
Assim que ele chegar, a gente começa a reunião.
As soon as he arrives, we'll start the meeting. (future → chegar)
Logo que terminar o trabalho, eu te aviso.
As soon as I finish the work, I'll let you know. (future → terminar)
Assim que ele chegou, todo mundo se levantou.
As soon as he arrived, everyone stood up. (past → indicative chegou)
Depois que — "after"
Depois que ("after") also takes the future subjunctive for future events and the indicative for past ones.
Depois que eu me formar, pretendo viajar um ano.
After I graduate, I plan to travel for a year. (future → formar)
Depois que choveu, o tempo esfriou.
After it rained, the weather got cooler. (past → indicative choveu)
Don't confuse the conjunction depois que (+ clause) with the preposition depois de (+ infinitive): depois de chegar ("after arriving") compresses a same-subject clause to an infinitive, much like apesar de.
Antes que — always subjunctive
Antes que ("before") is special: it always takes the subjunctive, regardless of time reference. The reason is built into its meaning — what comes "before" an event is, from that event's standpoint, not yet realized. So the present subjunctive is used for present/future, the imperfect subjunctive for the past.
Vamos sair antes que comece a chover.
Let's leave before it starts to rain. (present subjunctive comece)
Ele saiu antes que eu pudesse me despedir.
He left before I could say goodbye. (past → imperfect subjunctive pudesse)
Até que — "until"
Até que ("until") patterns like the others: future subjunctive for an awaited future point, indicative when reporting what actually happened.
Vou esperar até que você esteja pronto.
I'll wait until you're ready. (future → esteja)
Esperamos até que a chuva parou.
We waited until the rain stopped. (past actual event → indicative parou)
Desde que — two meanings
Desde que is a trap because it has two distinct senses with different moods.
Temporal "since / ever since" → indicative (it reports a real starting point in time).
Desde que me mudei pra cá, durmo muito melhor.
Ever since I moved here, I've been sleeping much better. (temporal → indicative mudei)
Conditional "provided that / as long as" → subjunctive (it states a condition, not a time).
Eu te empresto o carro, desde que você devolva com o tanque cheio.
I'll lend you the car, provided you return it with a full tank. (conditional → subjunctive devolva)
| Connector | Meaning | Future reference | Past / habitual reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| quando | when | future subjunctive | indicative |
| enquanto | while / as long as | future subjunctive | indicative |
| assim que / logo que | as soon as | future subjunctive | indicative |
| depois que | after | future subjunctive | indicative |
| até que | until | future subjunctive | indicative |
| antes que | before | subjunctive (always) | subjunctive (always) |
| desde que (time) | since / ever since | — | indicative |
| desde que (condition) | provided that | subjunctive (always) | |
Why the future subjunctive? A note for English speakers
English collapses two ideas into the present tense: "When I arrive, I'll call" (future) and "When I arrive, I always call" (habitual) use the identical verb form. Portuguese refuses to let a clearly future event wear present-tense clothing. It reserves a dedicated tense — the future subjunctive — for "the future moment at which X happens." This is why quando eu chegar (future) and quando eu chego (habitual present) are different in Portuguese but both "when I arrive" in English. For how to build this tense, see Future Subjunctive Formation; for its full range of uses, see Future Subjunctive Usage.
Common Mistakes
❌ Quando eu chego em casa, te ligo.
Incorrect for a future plan — chego is present indicative; future quando needs chegar.
✅ Quando eu chegar em casa, te ligo.
When I get home, I'll call you.
❌ Assim que ele chega, a gente começa.
Incorrect for a future event — needs the future subjunctive chegar.
✅ Assim que ele chegar, a gente começa.
As soon as he arrives, we'll start.
❌ Vamos sair antes que começa a chover.
Incorrect — antes que always takes the subjunctive comece, never the indicative.
✅ Vamos sair antes que comece a chover.
Let's leave before it starts to rain.
❌ Enquanto eu estou aqui, nada vai te acontecer.
Incorrect for a future promise — needs the future subjunctive estiver.
✅ Enquanto eu estiver aqui, nada de mal vai te acontecer.
As long as I'm here, nothing bad will happen to you.
❌ Te empresto o carro desde que você devolve cheio.
Incorrect — conditional desde que takes the subjunctive devolva.
✅ Te empresto o carro, desde que você devolva com o tanque cheio.
I'll lend you the car, provided you return it full.
Key Takeaways
- Most temporal connectors split by time: future → future subjunctive (quando eu chegar, assim que ele puder), past/habitual → indicative (quando ele chegou, quando eu era criança).
- The future subjunctive is the big surprise — English uses the present where Portuguese demands this dedicated future tense.
- Antes que always takes the subjunctive, in any time frame.
- Desde que means "ever since" (indicative) or "provided that" (subjunctive) — let the meaning pick the mood.
- With a shared subject, prefer the light antes de / depois de
- infinitive over a full que-clause.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Conjunctions of Time + SubjunctiveB1 — Temporal conjunctions like quando, assim que and antes que that govern the future subjunctive for future events — and the outlier antes que, which always takes the subjunctive.
- Futuro do Subjuntivo: UsageA2 — When to use the future subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese — the obligatory form after 'quando', 'se', 'enquanto', 'assim que' and other time conjunctions pointing to the future.
- Temporal ConjunctionsB1 — How quando, enquanto, assim que, antes que, depois que and até que locate events in time — and why some demand the future subjunctive while others stay in the indicative.
- Futuro do Subjuntivo: FormationA2 — How to build the future subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese — derived from the third-person plural preterite, and why it looks deceptively like the infinitive.
- Concessive Clauses (Although, Even Though)B1 — How to express contrast and concession with embora, mesmo que, ainda que and apesar de — and why the conjunctions take the subjunctive even for plain facts.