Almost everything you have learned about the subjunctive involves a dependent clause — a verb tucked safely after que, embora, talvez, or quero que. But the subjunctive also appears standing on its own, in independent main clauses, with no overt trigger in front of it. These are the jussive subjunctive (commands and exhortations from a distance) and the optative subjunctive (wishes and blessings). They are everywhere in Brazilian Portuguese — every time someone wishes you a good day, they're using one.
The optative subjunctive: wishes and blessings
The optative is the subjunctive of wishing. The most common frame is que + subjunctive, where que is not connecting two clauses — it's an exclamatory marker standing in for an implied "I hope that" or "may it be that."
Que Deus te abençoe!
May God bless you!
Que você tenha um bom dia!
Have a good day! (literally: may you have a good day)
Que tudo dê certo na sua entrevista!
May everything go well in your interview!
This is how Brazilians say "have a good day," "good luck," and "take care" — not with an imperative, but with que + subjunctive. The literal structure is "may you have...", "may everything work out...". English collapses these into bare imperatives ("Have a good day"), which is exactly why the Portuguese structure feels alien at first.
Que tenha uma boa viagem!
Have a good trip!
Que se recupere logo!
Get well soon! (formal — to someone you address as você/o senhor)
Set blessings and exclamations without "que"
Some optatives are fixed expressions and drop the que entirely. The subjunctive verb does all the work.
Viva o Brasil!
Long live Brazil!
Deus me livre!
God forbid! (literally: may God free me)
Bendito seja!
Blessed be (he)!
These are frozen formulas — viva, livre, seja are all present subjunctive, but speakers don't analyze them; they're learned whole. Viva! on its own is the standard cheer ("hooray / long live"), and you'll hear it at every birthday and every football match.
"Quem dera" and "tomara" — strong wishing
Brazilian Portuguese has two beloved wish-words. Tomara que ("I hope that," "hopefully") takes the present subjunctive and points to the future; quem dera ("if only," "I wish") takes the imperfect subjunctive and points to something contrary to fact or hard to attain.
Tomara que não chova no dia da festa!
Hopefully it won't rain on the day of the party!
Quem dera eu pudesse viajar o mundo inteiro.
If only I could travel the whole world.
Quem dera fosse tão fácil assim.
If only it were that easy.
The contrast is instructive: tomara que is hopeful about something still possible (it might not rain), while quem dera is wistful about something improbable or impossible (I probably can't travel the world; it isn't that easy). The tense follows: present subjunctive for live hope, imperfect subjunctive for the wistful, counterfactual wish.
The jussive subjunctive: third-person commands
You can command você directly with the imperative (Fala! / Fale!). But you cannot give a direct imperative to he, she, or they — they're not the person you're talking to. To issue a command or exhortation about a third party, Portuguese uses que + subjunctive.
Que venha o próximo!
Let the next one come! / Next, please!
Que entrem todos!
Let everyone come in!
Se ele não quer ajudar, que se vire sozinho.
If he doesn't want to help, let him fend for himself.
This is the "let X do Y" construction of English — but where English uses the helper verb "let," Portuguese uses que plus the subjunctive directly. Que se vire is literally "may he turn himself," idiomatically "let him deal with it."
Concessive formulas: "seja como for"
A small family of fixed expressions uses doubled or paired subjunctives to mean "whatever / however / come what may." These are concessive — they wave away all alternatives at once.
Seja como for, a gente vai resolver isso.
Be that as it may / however it turns out, we'll sort it out.
Seja o que for, estou do seu lado.
Whatever happens, I'm on your side.
Custe o que custar, eu vou terminar esse projeto.
Whatever it takes / cost what it may, I'm going to finish this project.
Note the pattern: a present subjunctive, then o que / como, then a future subjunctive (for, custar). These are highly idiomatic and worth memorizing as units — seja como for, seja o que for, custe o que custar, aconteça o que acontecer ("whatever happens").
Comparison with English
English has almost entirely lost its main-clause subjunctive. It survives only in fossilized phrases: "God bless you," "long live the king," "come what may," "be that as it may," "suffice it to say," "far be it from me." Notice these are exactly the same functions Portuguese covers productively — blessing, exhortation, concession. The difference is that in English these are dead formulas you can't extend, while in Brazilian Portuguese the pattern is fully alive: you can freely coin Que ele se dê bem! ("May he do well!") about anyone, anytime.
This is the deep insight for English speakers: don't look for a single English equivalent. The Portuguese main-clause subjunctive maps onto three different English structures — "may X...", "let X...", and "...come what may" — depending on whether you're wishing, exhorting, or conceding.
Common Mistakes
❌ Que Deus te abençoa!
Incorrect — a main-clause wish requires the subjunctive 'abençoe', not the indicative.
✅ Que Deus te abençoe!
May God bless you!
❌ Tomara que não chove amanhã.
Incorrect — 'tomara que' triggers the present subjunctive, not the indicative.
✅ Tomara que não chova amanhã.
Hopefully it won't rain tomorrow.
❌ Quem dera eu posso ir com vocês.
Incorrect — 'quem dera' takes the imperfect subjunctive 'pudesse', not the present indicative.
✅ Quem dera eu pudesse ir com vocês.
If only I could go with you all.
❌ Deixa ele vir, que ele decide.
Incorrect — to exhort a third person, use 'que' + subjunctive, not a hanging indicative.
✅ Que ele venha, então; ele que decida.
Let him come, then; let him decide.
Key Takeaways
- Que + present subjunctive in a standalone clause = a wish or blessing ("may you...") or a third-person command ("let him...").
- Fixed blessings drop que: Viva o Brasil!, Deus me livre!.
- Tomara que
- present subjunctive = "hopefully" (live hope); quem dera
- imperfect subjunctive = "if only" (wistful, counterfactual).
- present subjunctive = "hopefully" (live hope); quem dera
- Concessive formulas pair subjunctives: seja como for, custe o que custar, aconteça o que acontecer.
- English has only fossils ("God bless you," "come what may"); Portuguese keeps the pattern fully productive.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- 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.
- 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.
- Imperative for Requests and Polite CommandsA2 — How Brazilians soften commands with particles, added phrases, and question forms — and why a bare imperative can sound abrupt.
- Subjunctive in Main ClausesC1 — The optative, jussive, and concessive subjunctive standing alone in independent clauses — Que Deus te abençoe, Viva o Brasil, seja como for, quem dera eu pudesse.
- Imperative SentencesA1 — How Brazilian Portuguese gives commands, requests and instructions — the subjunctive-based você form vs the colloquial tu form, negative commands, softeners, and the polite question alternative.