Extraposition (extraposição) is the construction where a subordinate clause that would logically be the subject of a sentence is pushed to the end, and a dummy or placeholder element fills the subject slot at the front. The result is a pattern everyone learns in their first months of Portuguese — é importante que…, parece que…, é óbvio que… — but whose logic only clicks later, once you realise these sentences are syntactically unusual: the apparent subject (it) is a ghost, and the real subject is the long clause hanging off the end.
Understanding extraposition matters because it is the gateway to the impersonal subjunctive triggers (the dense cluster of é necessário que, é possível que, é preciso que, convém que, parece que, acontece que, and their dozens of cousins). Once you see how the construction works, you can generate any of these patterns on demand, decide correctly whether to use the subjunctive or the indicative in the embedded clause, and choose between the que-clause and the (shorter, more natural) personal infinitive. This page covers all three decisions.
Why extraposition exists
Consider this sentence with the subordinate clause in its "logical" position as the subject:
Que venhas é importante. — That you come is important.
This is grammatical, but heavy and unusual — long, complex clauses at the front of a sentence are hard for listeners to process, because they have to hold the entire embedded thought in memory before they hear the main predicate. Portuguese, like English, has a universal solution: move the heavy clause to the end and put a placeholder at the front so the sentence has something to start with.
É importante que venhas. — It's important that you come.
The é at the front is doing the same job as English it — it is a dummy subject that holds the front position while the real (content) subject waits in extraposed position at the end. Portuguese doesn't actually say it out loud, because Portuguese is a pro-drop language and silent subjects are the norm; the é alone conveys the dummy. But conceptually, the structure mirrors English perfectly.
É importante que venhas.
It's important that you come.
É possível que ele já tenha saído.
It's possible that he has already left.
Parece que vai chover.
It looks like it's going to rain.
É óbvio que ele mentiu.
It's obvious he lied.
The basic templates
Portuguese extraposition comes in three main templates, differing only in what sits between the dummy é and the embedded clause.
Template 1: é + adjective + que + clause
The placeholder slot is an adjective describing the content of the embedded clause.
É importante que comas alguma coisa.
It's important that you eat something.
É bom que tenhas avisado.
It's good that you warned me.
É estranho que ela não tenha ligado.
It's strange that she hasn't called.
É justo que todos recebam o mesmo.
It's fair that everyone gets the same.
Template 2: é + noun + que + clause
The placeholder is a noun — often abstract (pena, sorte, tempo, altura, hora) — that characterises the embedded clause.
É pena que ele já tenha ido embora.
It's a shame he has already left.
É uma sorte que eles cheguem hoje.
It's lucky that they're arriving today.
É uma vergonha que ninguém tenha protestado.
It's a disgrace that no one protested.
Template 3: impersonal verb + que + clause
Instead of ser + adjective/noun, the placeholder is a whole impersonal verb like parecer, acontecer, convir, importar, interessar, urgir.
Parece que está tudo bem.
It seems everything is fine.
Acontece que já não tenho tempo.
It happens that I no longer have time.
Convém que chegues a horas.
It's advisable that you arrive on time.
Urge que tomemos uma decisão.
It's urgent that we make a decision.
Importa que todos concordem.
It matters that everyone agrees.
The mood in the embedded clause
This is the hard part. The placeholder at the front determines whether the embedded que-clause takes the subjunctive or the indicative. The determining factor is the semantic class of the adjective, noun, or verb in the placeholder.
Subjunctive triggers: necessity, importance, evaluation, doubt, emotion
When the placeholder expresses necessity, importance, desirability, emotion about, or doubt about the embedded content, the embedded clause takes the subjunctive. This is the default case.
| Class | Placeholder examples | Why subjunctive? |
|---|---|---|
| Necessity / importance | é necessário, é preciso, é importante, é fundamental, urge | The embedded action isn't real yet — it's a required outcome. |
| Desirability / value judgement | é bom, é mau, é justo, é normal, é estranho, é ridículo | The speaker is evaluating the action, not asserting it. |
| Emotion | é pena, é uma lástima, é alegria, é preocupante | Emotion takes scope over a fact, rather than asserting it anew. |
| Possibility / doubt | é possível, é provável, é duvidoso, pode ser | The embedded content is not asserted as true. |
| Advisability | convém, importa, vale a pena | The speaker is recommending an action, not describing one. |
É necessário que tragas o passaporte.
It's necessary that you bring your passport.
É provável que eles cheguem atrasados.
It's likely they'll arrive late.
É pena que não tenhas conhecido o meu avô.
It's a shame you didn't get to meet my grandfather.
Convém que fales com o teu chefe primeiro.
It's advisable that you speak with your boss first.
Indicative triggers: certainty, factual assertion, evidence
When the placeholder expresses certainty, evident fact, or direct perception, the embedded clause takes the indicative. The speaker is asserting the embedded content as true.
| Class | Placeholder examples |
|---|---|
| Certainty | é certo, é evidente, é óbvio, é claro, é verdade, é facto |
| Perception of fact | parece (when used factually), acontece, sucede, dá-se o caso |
É óbvio que ele mentiu.
It's obvious he lied.
É verdade que a Maria vai mudar-se.
It's true that Maria is going to move.
É evidente que algo aconteceu.
It's evident that something happened.
Acontece que eu conheço o diretor.
It happens that I know the director.
The tricky case: parecer
Parecer is the most subtle trigger because it can go either way. When it means "it seems (to me) that" in a factual, evidential sense — "there is evidence that" — it takes the indicative, which is overwhelmingly the default in European Portuguese. Only when parecer is itself negated does the embedded clause flip to the subjunctive, since negating evidence undermines the speaker's assertion.
Parece que vai chover.
It looks like it's going to rain. (indicative — you can see the clouds)
Não parece que haja outra solução.
It doesn't seem like there is any other solution. (subjunctive after negation)
Negation flips the mood
When a placeholder that normally takes the indicative is negated, the embedded clause flips to the subjunctive — because negating certainty creates doubt. This is a general Portuguese rule that extraposition inherits.
É certo que ele chega hoje.
It's certain he's arriving today. (indicative)
Não é certo que ele chegue hoje.
It's not certain he's arriving today. (subjunctive after negation)
É verdade que ela mora aqui.
It's true that she lives here. (indicative)
Não é verdade que ela more aqui.
It's not true that she lives here. (subjunctive after negation)
The personal infinitive alternative
Portuguese offers a second, shorter way to do extraposition: the personal infinitive. Instead of é importante que tu venhas, you can say é importante vires (it's important for you to come). The personal infinitive carries person marking on its own ending (-es, -mos, -em), so you can still indicate who the subject is, without a que-clause.
É importante que venhas. — que + subjunctive É importante vires. — personal infinitive
Both are grammatical and synonymous. The personal infinitive is shorter, lighter, and slightly less formal; the que-clause with subjunctive is more explicit and a touch more formal.
É importante vires cedo.
It's important for you to come early.
É melhor sairmos já.
It's better for us to leave now.
É fundamental terem paciência.
It's essential for them to have patience.
É pena irem tão cedo.
It's a shame for them to leave so early.
Convém lavares as mãos antes de comer.
It's advisable for you to wash your hands before eating.
When to choose which
The subjunctive que-clause is essentially mandatory in three situations: (1) when the tense of the embedded action is clearly in the past or contrasts with the present (é pena que ele tenha saído — the infinitive can't express the past as neatly); (2) when the embedded clause is long and complex (shorter infinitives sound awkward with lots of adverbial material); (3) in formal writing, where the que-clause reads as more precise.
The personal infinitive is preferred (1) when both clauses share the same subject (but then you drop the person marking and use a plain infinitive — see below); (2) when the focus is on the action rather than on a full proposition; (3) in speech, for shorter, punchier phrasing.
Infinitive with the same subject — drop the person marking
If the subject of the placeholder clause and the embedded clause is the same, the infinitive has nothing to mark and it appears in its plain form. This pattern is extremely common with ser + adjective:
É impossível resolver este problema agora.
It's impossible to solve this problem now. (no specific subject — generic)
É bom comer bem.
It's good to eat well. (generic)
Para mim, é difícil levantar-me cedo.
For me, it's hard to get up early. (mim is dative, infinitive is impersonal)
When no specific subject is mentioned, the embedded infinitive is impersonal (no person marking) and has a generic, "one does" reading. Once a subject is introduced, person marking appears: é difícil levantar*mo-nos cedo (*it's hard for us to get up early — note that the -s of -mos drops before the clitic nos).
Word order variations
Although extraposition is by definition "clause at the end," the extraposed clause can be preceded by adverbial material that pushes things around. The placeholder cluster stays put; adverbs can shift freely.
Hoje em dia, é difícil encontrar casa em Lisboa.
Nowadays, it's hard to find a place in Lisbon.
É, sem dúvida, fundamental que todos participem.
It is, without a doubt, essential that everyone take part.
The "undone" order — putting the logical subject back at the front — is possible but rare and carries a formal, deliberative tone. Que venhas é importante signals that the speaker is weighing the matter carefully.
Tense harmony with the subjunctive
When the placeholder is in the present (é importante), the embedded subjunctive is normally in the present subjunctive. When the placeholder is in the past (era importante, foi pena), the embedded subjunctive is in the imperfect subjunctive. This is the standard sequence of tenses, and extraposition follows it without exception.
É importante que tragas o livro.
It's important that you bring the book. (present / present subjunctive)
Era importante que trouxesses o livro.
It would be important for you to bring the book. (imperfect / imperfect subjunctive)
Foi pena que ela não tivesse ficado.
It's a shame she didn't stay. (preterite / pluperfect subjunctive)
Common Mistakes
❌ É importante que tu vens cedo.
Incorrect — é importante que triggers the subjunctive: venhas, not vens.
✅ É importante que tu venhas cedo.
It's important that you come early.
❌ É óbvio que ele tenha mentido.
Incorrect — é óbvio expresses certainty and takes the indicative.
✅ É óbvio que ele mentiu.
It's obvious he lied.
❌ Não é verdade que ela mora aqui.
Incorrect — negation of certainty flips to subjunctive.
✅ Não é verdade que ela more aqui.
It's not true that she lives here.
❌ É possível ele chegue tarde.
Incorrect — between the placeholder and the subjunctive clause, que is obligatory.
✅ É possível que ele chegue tarde.
It's possible he'll arrive late.
❌ É importante para ti vir cedo.
Incorrect — if the action has a specific subject (tu), use the personal infinitive: vires.
✅ É importante vires cedo.
It's important for you to come early.
❌ Era importante que tu venhas.
Incorrect — past placeholder requires imperfect subjunctive: viesses.
✅ Era importante que tu viesses.
It would be important for you to come.
Key takeaways
- Extraposition moves a heavy subordinate clause to the end; a placeholder (é
- adj/noun, or an impersonal verb) holds the front.
- The mood in the embedded clause depends on the semantics of the placeholder: necessity, importance, emotion, evaluation, and doubt trigger the subjunctive; certainty and evidence trigger the indicative.
- Negation of a certainty placeholder flips the mood: é certo que… (ind.) → não é certo que… (subj.).
- The personal infinitive (é importante vires) is a shorter, lighter alternative to que
- subjunctive when the subject is specific.
- Same-subject or generic sentences use a plain (impersonal) infinitive without person marking: é bom comer bem.
- Tense harmony applies: present placeholder pairs with present subjunctive; past placeholder with imperfect subjunctive.
Related Topics
- Complex Grammar OverviewB1 — A map of advanced syntactic structures in European Portuguese — conditionals, reported speech, relative clauses, cleft sentences, concessives, causatives, and more
- Infinitive Clauses (Impersonal and Personal Infinitive in Subordination)B1 — How Portuguese uses infinitive clauses instead of finite subordinate clauses — the three-way contrast between infinitive, personal infinitive, and subjunctive, and when each is preferred.
- Impersonal Expressions (É necessário que, É possível que)B1 — The subjunctive after impersonal É + adjective/noun + que expressions in European Portuguese, with the crucial contrast between judgment and certainty.
- Subjunctive of Wishes and DesiresB1 — Why querer que, esperar que, desejar que, and similar wish-verbs trigger the present subjunctive, plus the crucial same-subject rule that sends you to an infinitive instead.
- Impersonal vs Personal Infinitive: Quick ReferenceB1 — A decision-tree guide to choosing between the bare infinitive and the personal (inflected) infinitive. Same subject, different subject, modal, preposition, impersonal expression, volition — a one-page answer key.
- Pseudo-Cleft SentencesC1 — O que eu quero é, quem chegou primeiro foi — using a free relative clause to spotlight one element of a thought.