Quando você chamar o técnico aqui, eu vou lhe mostrar o problema.

Questions & Answers about Quando você chamar o técnico aqui, eu vou lhe mostrar o problema.

Why is it quando você chamar instead of quando você chama?

Because after quando referring to a future event, Portuguese usually uses the future subjunctive.

  • quando você chamar = when you call
  • quando você chama = usually when/whenever you call in a habitual or repeated sense

So this sentence is talking about a specific future moment, which is why chamar is used.

Why is the verb form chamar used with você?

Because você takes third-person singular verb forms in Brazilian Portuguese.

So you get:

  • você chama
  • você chamou
  • você chamar

Even though você means you, grammatically it behaves like he/she.

Does chamar here mean call on the phone?

Not necessarily. Chamar can mean several things, including:

In this sentence, because of o técnico aqui, the most natural idea is to get the technician to come here or to call the technician over here. It could involve a phone call, but the verb itself does not require that interpretation.

What does aqui mean here, and what is it modifying?

Aqui means here, and it goes with the idea of calling the technician here.

So the sense is:

  • chamar o técnico aqui = call/get the technician here

It is not describing mostrar. The speaker is not saying I’ll show the problem here; they are saying when you bring/call the technician here, I’ll show him/the technician the problem—or, depending on context, I’ll show you the problem.

Why is there a comma after aqui?

Because Quando você chamar o técnico aqui is an introductory subordinate clause, and the main clause comes after it:

  • Quando você chamar o técnico aqui,
  • eu vou lhe mostrar o problema.

This is very similar to English punctuation in a sentence like:

  • When you call the technician here, I’ll show you the problem.

The comma helps separate the two parts.

Why does it say eu vou lhe mostrar instead of just mostrarei?

Ir + infinitive is the most common way to express the future in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.

So:

  • eu vou lhe mostrar = very natural in speech
  • eu lhe mostrarei = correct, but more formal or literary

Both mean the same thing, but vou mostrar sounds much more conversational.

What does lhe mean in this sentence?

Lhe is an indirect object pronoun. Here it means to you.

The verb mostrar often works like this:

  • mostrar algo a alguém = to show something to someone

So in the sentence:

  • o problema = the thing being shown
  • lhe = the person receiving the showing

In other words:

  • eu vou lhe mostrar o problema = I’m going to show you the problem
Why is lhe used instead of te?

Traditionally, lhe matches você, because você takes third-person grammar.

So, in more grammar-based terms:

  • vou lhe mostrar fits você

However, in real spoken Brazilian Portuguese, many people say:

  • vou te mostrar

even when they are using você. That is extremely common.

So the choices are roughly:

  • vou lhe mostrar = correct, somewhat more formal or careful
  • vou te mostrar = very common in everyday speech
  • vou mostrar para você = also very natural and very clear
Could I say eu vou mostrar o problema para você instead?

Yes. That is completely natural in Brazilian Portuguese.

These are all possible:

  • eu vou lhe mostrar o problema
  • eu vou te mostrar o problema
  • eu vou mostrar o problema para você

The last one is often especially clear for learners, because it avoids pronoun placement issues.

Why is o problema the direct object?

Because with mostrar, the thing being shown is normally the direct object, and the person you show it to is the indirect object.

So:

  • mostrar o problema = show the problem
  • mostrar o problema a alguém / para alguém = show the problem to someone

In this sentence:

  • o problema = direct object
  • lhe = indirect object
Can the pronoun go in a different position, like vou mostrar-lhe?

Grammatically, yes, but in Brazilian Portuguese the most natural version is usually:

  • vou lhe mostrar

Other placements are possible, but they sound more formal, more written, or less Brazilian in tone:

  • vou mostrar-lhe = grammatical, but less common in everyday Brazilian speech
  • lhe vou mostrar = much less natural in Brazil

So for modern spoken Brazilian Portuguese, vou lhe mostrar is the best model here.

Why is it o técnico and not um técnico?

O técnico suggests a specific technician, probably one already known in the situation.

  • o técnico = the technician
  • um técnico = a technician

So this sentence sounds like both speakers know which technician they mean, or at least the speaker is referring to the relevant technician for the problem.

Could quando mean whenever here?

In some contexts, yes, quando can mean when or whenever. But here, because of the future-subjunctive form chamar, it most naturally means a specific future when.

So the idea is:

  • When you call/get the technician here, I’ll show you the problem

If the sentence were talking about a repeated situation, the structure would probably be different.

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