Breakdown of É necessário que a tarefa seja feita hoje.
Questions & Answers about É necessário que a tarefa seja feita hoje.
In Brazilian Portuguese, expressions of necessity, recommendation, importance, etc. often follow the pattern [impersonal expression] + que + subjunctive.
So é necessário que... (“it’s necessary that...”) typically triggers the subjunctive because it expresses a requirement rather than stating a simple fact.
Seja is the present subjunctive form of ser (to be). After é necessário que, Portuguese normally uses the subjunctive:
- Indicative (fact): É certo que a tarefa é feita... (less common / sounds odd here, but “it’s certain that...” points to fact)
- Subjunctive (requirement): É necessário que a tarefa seja feita...
Conjugation reminder (present subjunctive of ser): (que) eu seja, você seja, ele/ela seja, nós sejamos, vocês sejam, eles sejam.
Seja feita is a passive construction:
- seja = “be” (subjunctive of ser)
- feita = past participle of fazer (“done/made”), agreeing with a tarefa (feminine singular)
So it’s literally “that the task be done today.”
Yes, it’s the analytic passive: ser + past participle → seja feita.
Common alternatives:
1) Still passive but more direct: A tarefa tem que ser feita hoje.
2) Active with an implied subject (someone/you/we): É necessário que façam a tarefa hoje. (they/you all do it)
3) Impersonal/infinitive (often very natural): É necessário fazer a tarefa hoje.
Yes, and it’s very common. É necessário fazer... uses the infinitive and avoids que + subjunctive. Meaning stays basically the same (“It’s necessary to do the task today”), but it often sounds a bit more straightforward and less “bureaucratic” than é necessário que....
Portuguese typically uses articles more than English. With a specific task (even if not previously mentioned), a tarefa is natural: “the task / the assignment.”
You can see É necessário que tarefa seja feita hoje, but it’s unusual; without the article it tends to sound unnatural or like a heading/telegram style.
Past participles in this passive structure agree with the noun:
- a tarefa (fem. sg.) → feita
- o trabalho (masc. sg.) → feito
- as tarefas (fem. pl.) → feitas
- os trabalhos (masc. pl.) → feitos
So: É necessário que os relatórios sejam feitos hoje.
It does match. The verb form is third-person singular because a tarefa is singular.
If it were plural (as tarefas), you’d use sejam:
É necessário que as tarefas sejam feitas hoje.
Yes. All of these are possible, with slight emphasis differences:
- É necessário que a tarefa seja feita hoje. (neutral)
- É necessário que hoje a tarefa seja feita. (emphasizes “today”)
- Hoje é necessário que a tarefa seja feita. (strongly foregrounds “today”)
Most common is keeping hoje at the end.
They overlap, but tone/register differs:
- É necessário (que...): more formal, institutional, “requirement”
- É preciso (que...): common, slightly less formal than necessário
- Tem que: very common in speech, direct/forceful (“has to / gotta”)
Example:
- É necessário que a tarefa seja feita hoje. (formal)
- É preciso que a tarefa seja feita hoje. (neutral)
- A tarefa tem que ser feita hoje. (direct, conversational)
Because this is the passive voice built with ser + participle to express an action being done: ser feita = “be done.”
Estar + participle usually describes a resulting state (“is done/finished” as a condition):
- A tarefa está feita. = “The task is done (already).”
But your sentence is about a requirement for completion today, so ser is the right choice.
It’s understood everywhere, but it sounds more formal (workplace, instructions, official communication). In casual speech, Brazilians often choose:
- Tem que...
- Precisa...
- Dá pra... (if it’s about possibility rather than obligation)
So a very natural everyday version would be: A tarefa tem que ser feita hoje.