Breakdown of Assim que eu entrar no apartamento, vou ligar para você.
eu
I
você
you
para
to
ir
to go (future auxiliary)
Questions & Answers about Assim que eu entrar no apartamento, vou ligar para você.
What does assim que mean here?
Assim que means as soon as.
It introduces an action that will happen immediately after another one:
- Assim que eu entrar no apartamento, vou ligar para você.
- As soon as I enter/get into the apartment, I’m going to call you.
Other Portuguese expressions with a similar meaning are logo que and, in many contexts, quando, but assim que strongly emphasizes immediacy.
Why is it eu entrar and not eu entro?
Because after assim que when you are talking about a future event, Portuguese normally uses the future subjunctive.
So:
- Assim que eu entrar... = correct
- Assim que eu entro... = not the normal choice for this future meaning
A native English speaker often expects a present tense here because English says as soon as I enter or as soon as I get in, but Portuguese uses a different structure.
Very common triggers for the future subjunctive include:
Examples:
- Quando eu chegar, aviso você.
- Se ele vier, nós saímos.
- Assim que ela terminar, me chama.
How do I know that entrar is future subjunctive?