Temporal conjunctions (conjunções temporais) locate one event in time relative to another: before, after, during, as soon as, until. This family is where PT-PT grammar shows its most distinctive feature — the future subjunctive — in its purest, most everyday form. Every time a Portuguese speaker says quando chegares ("when you arrive"), assim que souber ("as soon as I know"), or enquanto não pares ("until you stop"), they are using a tense that Spanish, French, and English simply do not have. This is not literary or rare: it is the way PT-PT natives structure any sentence that talks about the future after a temporal conjunction.
The single most important table on this page is the mood-pairing table below. Memorise it and you will produce natural PT-PT temporal sentences automatically; skip it and you will say quando chego when a native speaker would say quando chegar, and the whole sentence will sound wrong.
The mood-pairing table
Every temporal conjunction selects a mood — or in some cases two moods, depending on whether the event has already happened (indicative) or is still future (future subjunctive or other subjunctive).
| Conjunction | Meaning | Completed / habitual (past or present) | Future hypothetical | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| quando | when | indicative | future subjunctive | The PT-PT signature pair |
| logo que | as soon as | indicative | future subjunctive | Slightly more formal than assim que |
| assim que | as soon as | indicative | future subjunctive | Most common spoken |
| mal | as soon as, no sooner had | indicative | future subjunctive (rare) | Colloquial-to-neutral |
| sempre que | whenever | indicative (habitual) | future subjunctive | Often "every time" |
| à medida que | as, in proportion as | indicative | future subjunctive | Gradual change |
| enquanto | while | indicative | indicative | Simultaneous action |
| enquanto não | until, while … not | indicative (past) | future subjunctive | The "until" reading |
| até que | until | indicative (past fact) / subjunctive | present subjunctive | See below |
| antes que | before | imperfect subjunctive (past) | present subjunctive | Subjunctive is obligatory |
| depois que | after | indicative | future subjunctive | Completed action |
| desde que (temporal) | since (time) | indicative | — | Distinguish from conditional desde que |
| até + inf. pessoal | until + subject does | — | personal infinitive | PT-PT speciality |
Now let us walk through each group, starting with the conjunctions that take the future subjunctive — these are the heart of PT-PT temporal grammar.
Quando — the signature pattern
Quando means "when." It takes the indicative for real, completed, or habitual events, and the future subjunctive for any future reference. This is the pattern you must internalise.
Indicative — past, present habitual
Quando cheguei, já não estava lá ninguém.
When I arrived, there was no one there anymore. (past)
Quando estou cansado, não consigo concentrar-me.
When I'm tired, I can't concentrate. (present habitual)
Quando era pequeno, passava o verão na praia.
When I was little, I'd spend the summer at the beach. (past habitual)
Future subjunctive — the PT-PT signature
Quando chegares a casa, avisa-me.
When you get home, let me know. (future — *chegares*, future subjunctive)
Ligo-te quando tiver novidades.
I'll call you when I have news. (future — *tiver*)
Quando puder, passo aí para falar contigo.
When I can, I'll swing by to talk to you. (future — *puder*)
Quando fores ao supermercado, traz pão, por favor.
When you go to the supermarket, bring bread, please. (future — *fores*)
Logo que and assim que — "as soon as"
These two conjunctions are near-synonyms. Assim que is the everyday spoken choice; logo que is slightly more formal and more common in writing. Both take the indicative for past/habitual and the future subjunctive for future reference.
Vou ligar-te assim que souber.
I'll call you as soon as I know. (future subjunctive *souber*)
Assim que chegarmos, mandamos uma mensagem.
As soon as we arrive, we'll send a message.
Logo que tiveres as fotografias, envia-mas.
As soon as you have the photos, send them to me. (future subjunctive *tiveres*)
Logo que o avião aterrou, os passageiros aplaudiram.
As soon as the plane landed, the passengers applauded. (past — indicative)
Assim que o filme acabou, saímos do cinema.
As soon as the film ended, we left the cinema. (past — indicative)
Mal — "no sooner had"
Mal is a neat colloquial-to-neutral temporal conjunction meaning "as soon as" or, with more emphasis, "no sooner had." It is short, punchy, and characteristic of lively PT-PT narration. It takes the indicative.
Mal cheguei a casa, o telefone tocou.
No sooner had I got home than the phone rang.
Mal a viu, reconheceu-a.
As soon as he saw her, he recognised her.
Mal o professor sai, a turma começa a falar.
As soon as the teacher leaves, the class starts talking.
Mal with future reference is rare; in future contexts, PT-PT prefers assim que or logo que + future subjunctive.
Sempre que — "whenever, every time"
Sempre que means "whenever" in the sense of "every time that." With habitual or past events it takes the indicative; with future reference, the future subjunctive.
Sempre que o vejo, pergunta-me pela tua mãe.
Every time I see him, he asks about your mother. (habitual — indicative)
Sempre que precisares de ajuda, liga-me.
Whenever you need help, call me. (future — future subjunctive)
Ela sempre que conduzia, punha música alta.
Whenever she drove, she'd put on loud music. (past habitual)
À medida que — "as, in proportion as"
À medida que marks gradual, parallel change. It takes the indicative for concrete realities and the future subjunctive for future projections.
À medida que os anos passam, as coisas mudam.
As the years go by, things change.
À medida que for lendo, vais perceber melhor a história.
As you read on, you'll understand the story better. (future subjunctive)
Enquanto — "while" (simultaneous)
Enquanto means "while" in the sense of two events happening simultaneously. It takes the indicative in both past and future, with no future subjunctive involvement for the simultaneous reading. This is the default "while" of PT-PT.
Enquanto a Maria cozinha, eu ponho a mesa.
While Maria cooks, I set the table.
Enquanto estudo, ouço música clássica.
While I study, I listen to classical music.
Enquanto ele dormia, eu acabei o trabalho.
While he was sleeping, I finished the work. (past — indicative)
Enquanto não — "until" (the negative reading)
Enquanto não flips to mean "while … not," which in English is naturally translated as "until." With future reference, it triggers the future subjunctive. This is a distinctively PT-PT way to express "until" in future contexts.
Enquanto não acabares o trabalho, não sais de casa.
Until you finish the work, you're not leaving the house. (*acabares* — future subjunctive)
Enquanto não chegar o pai, não começamos a jantar.
Until Dad arrives, we don't start dinner.
Enquanto ele não me pedir desculpa, não lhe falo.
Until he apologises to me, I'm not talking to him.
Até que — "until"
Até que is the more textbook "until." It takes the subjunctive — present subjunctive for future reference, imperfect subjunctive in past narrative after a past main clause.
Espero aqui até que chegues.
I'll wait here until you arrive. (present subjunctive *chegues*)
Estudou até que soubesse tudo de cor.
She studied until she knew everything by heart. (imperfect subjunctive)
Não vou dormir até que ele me ligue.
I'm not going to sleep until he calls me.
When até que introduces a past event that actually happened (as a statement of fact rather than a goal), the indicative is sometimes used in careful speech — but the subjunctive is overwhelmingly preferred in modern PT-PT. Safe default: subjunctive after até que.
Até + personal infinitive
A parallel — and very natural — PT-PT construction is até + personal infinitive, which avoids the subjunctive altogether by marking the subject on the infinitive.
Espero aqui até chegares.
I'll wait here until you arrive. (*chegares* — personal infinitive)
Vou continuar a tentar até conseguirmos.
I'll keep trying until we succeed. (*conseguirmos* — personal infinitive)
Fica aí até eu voltar.
Stay there until I come back.
The choice between até que + subjunctive and até + personal infinitive is largely stylistic. The personal-infinitive version is shorter, flows more naturally in speech, and is a distinctive PT-PT preference.
Antes que — "before"
Antes que introduces an event that has not yet happened — by definition, the event is still in the realm of the possible. Portuguese marks this with the subjunctive, and the subjunctive is obligatory here (never indicative). Present subjunctive for future reference; imperfect subjunctive after a past main clause.
Sai antes que comece a chover.
Leave before it starts raining. (present subjunctive *comece*)
Saí antes que ele chegasse.
I left before he arrived. (imperfect subjunctive *chegasse*)
Fecha a porta antes que o gato fuja.
Close the door before the cat escapes.
Antes de + personal infinitive
As with até, PT-PT often prefers the prepositional form antes de + personal infinitive when it sounds cleaner.
Avisa-me antes de saíres.
Let me know before you leave.
Antes de irmos, temos de pagar a conta.
Before we go, we have to pay the bill.
Depois que — "after"
Depois que introduces a completed event that precedes the main clause. It takes the indicative in past narration and the future subjunctive with future reference.
Depois que ele saiu, a festa ficou aborrecida.
After he left, the party got boring. (past — indicative)
Depois que te formares, vais fazer o quê?
After you graduate, what are you going to do? (future subjunctive)
Depois de + personal infinitive
More natural in PT-PT for many situations is depois de + infinitive (personal or impersonal).
Depois de jantares, vamos dar uma volta.
After you have dinner, we'll go for a walk. (personal infinitive)
Depois de chegar a casa, telefono-te.
After I get home, I'll call you. (impersonal)
Desde que (temporal) — "since"
Desde que as a temporal conjunction means "since (the time when)," referring to a starting point in the past. It takes the indicative. Do not confuse this with the conditional desde que meaning "provided that" + subjunctive (see the conditional conjunctions page).
Não a vejo desde que ela se mudou para Lisboa.
I haven't seen her since she moved to Lisbon.
Desde que cheguei a Portugal, aprendi muito.
Since I arrived in Portugal, I've learned a lot.
Estou em casa desde que o Marco me ligou.
I've been home since Marco called me.
The test: if you can replace "since" with "because," it is causal; if you can replace it with "from the time when," it is temporal and takes the indicative.
Why the future subjunctive after temporal conjunctions?
It is the same logic as with se in conditional clauses. When a temporal conjunction introduces a future event, that event has not yet happened — it is genuinely hypothetical at the moment of speaking. Portuguese marks that hypothetical status with the future subjunctive. Spanish drops into the present subjunctive in these contexts (cuando llegue); French uses the future indicative (quand tu arriveras); English uses the present indicative (when you arrive). Portuguese alone uses a dedicated tense to say "at some future moment when you arrive" — and it is still alive in the most ordinary sentences.
The payoff for learning this is enormous. Once quando chegares, assim que souber, enquanto não pares, and logo que puder feel natural, your PT-PT will sound genuinely Portuguese rather than translated.
Temporal clauses in context
Giving instructions
Quando fores à pastelaria, pede-me um pastel de nata.
When you go to the pastry shop, get me a custard tart.
Making plans
Assim que a Ana chegar, começamos o jantar.
As soon as Ana arrives, we'll start dinner.
Narrating the past
Mal ele abriu a porta, o cão saltou-lhe em cima.
The moment he opened the door, the dog jumped on him.
Issuing an ultimatum
Enquanto não limpares o quarto, não sais.
Until you clean your room, you're not going out.
Formal writing
À medida que os dados forem chegando, atualizaremos o relatório.
As the data come in, we will update the report.
Common mistakes
❌ Quando chego amanhã, ligo-te.
Wrong — future reference after *quando* takes the future subjunctive.
✅ Quando chegar amanhã, ligo-te.
When I arrive tomorrow, I'll call you.
❌ Assim que sei, digo-te.
Wrong — *assim que* with future reference takes the future subjunctive.
✅ Assim que souber, digo-te.
As soon as I know, I'll tell you.
❌ Antes que ele chega, sai da sala.
Wrong — *antes que* takes the subjunctive.
✅ Antes que ele chegue, sai da sala.
Before he arrives, leave the room.
❌ Enquanto não acabas, não vais brincar.
Wrong — *enquanto não* with future reference takes the future subjunctive.
✅ Enquanto não acabares, não vais brincar.
Until you finish, you're not going to play.
❌ Não a vejo desde que se mudasse.
Wrong — temporal *desde que* takes the indicative, not the subjunctive.
✅ Não a vejo desde que se mudou.
I haven't seen her since she moved.
❌ Até que eu vou, fica aqui.
Word-order wrong and mood wrong. Use *até (que) eu vá / eu ir*.
✅ Fica aqui até eu voltar. / Fica aqui até que eu volte.
Stay here until I come back.
Key takeaways
- The future subjunctive is the most important tense to master for PT-PT temporal conjunctions. It follows quando, logo que, assim que, sempre que, à medida que, enquanto não, and depois que when they refer to future events.
- Quando chegares (future) vs quando chego (habitual/present): keep these apart.
- Enquanto alone means "while" (simultaneous, indicative); enquanto não means "until" (future subjunctive with future reference).
- Até que takes the subjunctive; até
- personal infinitive is often more natural in PT-PT.
- Antes que always takes the subjunctive (never indicative).
- Temporal desde que
- indicative ≠ conditional desde que
- subjunctive ("provided that").
- indicative ≠ conditional desde que
- The personal infinitive (até chegares, antes de saíres, depois de jantares) is the elegant PT-PT escape route from que
- subjunctive when the subject is different or needs marking.
Related Topics
- Conjunctions OverviewA2 — Words that connect clauses and sentences in Portuguese — from simple *e* and *mas* to the formal *uma vez que* and *dado que*.
- Conditional Conjunctions (Se, Caso, Desde que, Contanto que)A2 — Expressing conditions — the four *se* patterns that English speakers must master, plus *caso*, *desde que*, *a não ser que*, and the full family of unless-clauses.
- Causal Conjunctions (Porque, Pois, Já que, Visto que)A2 — Expressing cause and reason — from the everyday *porque* to the formal *uma vez que*, *visto que*, and *dado que*, plus the noun-phrase expressions *devido a* and *em virtude de*.