Talvez vocês queiram beber refrigerante hoje à tarde.

Maybe you (plural) want to drink soda this afternoon.

Breakdown of Talvez vocês queiram beber refrigerante hoje à tarde.

• beber: to drink
• querer: to want
• hoje: today
• talvez: maybe
• vocês: you (plural)
• o refrigerante: the soda
• a tarde: the afternoon

Questions & Answers about Talvez vocês queiram beber refrigerante hoje à tarde.

Why is Talvez placed at the beginning of the sentence?

Talvez means "maybe" or "perhaps," so placing it at the start emphasizes the possibility/uncertainty in the statement. In Portuguese, putting Talvez at the beginning is a common way to signal that the action or outcome is not certain.

Why do we use the subjunctive form queiram instead of the indicative form (e.g., querem)?

In Portuguese, expressions of uncertainty or possibility often trigger the subjunctive. Talvez is one of the words that typically requires the subjunctive. Saying Talvez vocês queiram indicates that you are not sure whether they want to drink soda, whereas Talvez vocês querem would sound ungrammatical in standard Portuguese.

Is vocês always the correct pronoun to use for "you" (plural)?

In most of Brazil, vocês is indeed the standard "you plural." In some regions, people might still say vós, but that's very formal or archaic. Vocês is the go-to form when speaking to more than one person in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.

What is the function of hoje à tarde here?

Hoje à tarde means "this afternoon" or literally "today in the afternoon." It specifies the time when the action (drinking soda) might happen. This phrase can often be moved around in the sentence (e.g., Talvez vocês queiram beber refrigerante à tarde hoje), but hoje à tarde at the end is the most common and natural for emphasizing the time.

Could I replace refrigerante with another word without changing the structure?

Yes! You can replace refrigerante (which refers to soda or a soft drink) with almost any other noun. For example, Talvez vocês queiram beber água hoje à tarde or Talvez vocês queiram beber suco hoje à tarde. The sentence structure remains the same; only the noun for the drink changes.