Claro que nós podemos caminhar agora, se vocês quiserem.

Of course we can walk now, if you (plural) want.

Breakdown of Claro que nós podemos caminhar agora, se vocês quiserem.

• agora: now
• querer: to want
• caminhar: to walk
• poder: to be able to

Questions & Answers about Claro que nós podemos caminhar agora, se vocês quiserem.

Why is que used after claro here?

In Portuguese, it’s very common to say claro que to emphasize the certainty of the statement. Literally, claro means “clear,” and adding que is similar to saying “Of course that…” or “It’s obvious that…” in English.

Why do we see nós instead of a gente?

Both nós and a gente mean “we” in Brazilian Portuguese. Nós is the more traditional pronoun and it’s always followed by verb forms for the first-person plural, such as podemos (“we can”). A gente is more colloquial and technically uses the third-person singular verb form (as if you were saying “the people…”), like a gente pode (“we can”). In this sentence, nós is simply a stylistic choice to maintain a more standard form.

What does the verb form podemos tell me about the subject?

Podemos is the first-person plural present tense form of the verb poder (“to be able to” or “can”). This matches with nós, which is why you see nós podemos.

Why is quiserem used instead of other forms of the verb “querer”?

Quiserem is the future subjunctive form for “they” or “you (plural).” In Portuguese, the structure se vocês quiserem implies something like “if you (all) want (in the future sense).” This form is used to express a condition that might happen later.