Conjunctions and Mood Selection

This is the reference page for the single most reliable rule in the whole subjunctive system: a conjunction's mood is predictable from its meaning. You do not have to memorize hundreds of cases. There is one principle, and the long table below simply applies it. Once you internalize the logic here, you can choose the right mood after a conjunction you have never seen before. For how the subjunctive forms after these connectors, see Subjunctive with Conjunctions; for the deeper indicative/subjunctive contrast, see Indicative vs. Subjunctive.

The assertion principle

Every conjunction does one of three things to the clause it introduces:

1. It presents the clause as an asserted, real fact → indicative. Causes, habitual or past time references, real conditions, and actual results are things the speaker treats as true. Reality lives in the indicative.

2. It presents the clause as NOT asserted — a concession, a purpose, a doubt, something that hasn't happened, or a condition under negotiation → subjunctive. The subjunctive is the mood of the not-yet-real and the merely-entertained.

3. It points at an open event in the FUTURE after a time/condition conjunction (quando, se, assim que…) → future subjunctive. Portuguese has a dedicated tense for "when/if X happens" looking forward, which English completely lacks.

That third category is the one that surprises learners most. English uses the present tense for future time clauses ("when he arrives," "if it rains"), but Portuguese reaches for the future subjunctive: quando ele chegar, se chover. This is one of the defining features of the language.

The master table

Indicative: asserted reality

A causal conjunction asserts a real reason; a habitual or past time conjunction reports something that actually happens or happened. All take the indicative.

The quando in the third sentence refers to the real past, so it is indicative (era). Hold that example next to the future quando below and the contrast becomes vivid.

Subjunctive: the non-asserted

Concession, purpose, and conditional provisos all present clauses the speaker does not assert as fact. They take the subjunctive — typically present subjunctive for present/future reference.

Each clause names something unrealized or merely entertained: a concession you grant despite, a goal you aim toward, an event that hasn't happened yet, a condition you negotiate. None is a plain fact — hence the subjunctive (esteja, entendam, comece, venha, esteja).

Future subjunctive: the open future

This is the category English speakers must consciously retrain. After quando, se, assim que, logo que, enquanto, depois que, sempre que pointing to a future event, Portuguese uses the future subjunctive.

Look at the verbs: chegar, chover, souber, tiver — all future subjunctive. In English every one of these is a plain present ("get," "rains," "finds out," "have"). Mapping the English present onto the Portuguese present indicative here is the single most common B1 error, and it is the reason this category needs its own page. Note that chegar and chover happen to look identical to the personal infinitive for regular verbs, but irregulars reveal the difference clearly: souber (not saber), tiver (not ter), for (not ser/ir).

The conjunctions that take both moods

A handful flip mood depending on meaning. You have already seen the most important ones:

• se — indicative for a real/present condition (Se você sabe a resposta, fala), future subjunctive for an open future condition (Se você souber, me conta).
• quando / enquanto / depois que / sempre que — indicative for habitual/past, future subjunctive for open future.
• de modo/maneira/forma que — indicative for an actual result, subjunctive for an intended purpose.

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• One principle governs everything: asserted reality → indicative; non-asserted → subjunctive; open future time/condition → future subjunctive.
• Causal (porque, já que), habitual/past time (quando, enquanto), real conditions (se), and actual results (de modo que, tão… que) all take the indicative.
• Concession (embora, ainda que), purpose (para que), negative/anticipatory time (antes que, até que, sem que), and conditional provisos (caso, a menos que, contanto que) all take the subjunctive.
• Future-pointing quando, se, assim que, logo que, enquanto, depois que take the future subjunctive — where English uses a plain present.
• The flexible conjunctions (se, quando, de modo que) change mood with their meaning; read the time frame and the assertion, not just the word.