Quando chove, o motorista segura o volante com as duas mãos.

It can mean either, depending on context, but in this sentence it most naturally has a general / habitual meaning:

• Quando chove = When it rains / Whenever it rains

Portuguese often uses the present tense for general situations and repeated actions. So this sentence sounds like a general statement about what a driver does in rainy conditions.

If you wanted to emphasize an action happening right now, Brazilian Portuguese might also use:

• Quando está chovendo... = When it is raining...

But Quando chove is very natural here.

Because chover is usually an impersonal verb when talking about weather.

So Portuguese says:

• Chove. = It rains / It’s raining.

The it in English does not refer to anything real; it is just a grammatical subject. Portuguese does not need that placeholder subject in weather expressions.

Other common examples:

• Está frio. = It is cold.
• Nevou ontem. = It snowed yesterday.

So Quando chove is completely normal, and you do not say ele chove.

Here o motorista is being used in a generic sense, meaning the driver as a type or drivers in general.

Portuguese often uses the definite article this way:

• O cachorro é um animal fiel. = The dog is a faithful animal / Dogs are faithful animals.
• O motorista segura o volante... = The driver holds the steering wheel...

If you said um motorista, it would sound more like a driver, meaning one unspecified driver, rather than drivers in general.

So o motorista is the natural choice for a general statement.

Segura is from the verb segurar, which often means:

• to hold
• to keep hold of
• to grip

In this sentence, segura o volante means the driver holds or keeps hold of the steering wheel.

Depending on context, segurar can also mean other things, such as:

• to stop / detain
• to support
• to restrain

But with o volante, the meaning is clearly to hold.

Volante means steering wheel in this sentence.

So:

• o volante = the steering wheel

Be aware that volante can have other meanings in different contexts, such as a flyer/leaflet or even a position in sports, but in driving contexts it means steering wheel.

It is masculine, which is why it uses o:

• o volante

Com as duas mãos means with both hands / with the two hands.

The article as helps make it specific: we are talking about the person’s two hands as a known pair.

• com duas mãos = with two hands
• com as duas mãos = with both hands / with the two hands

In this sentence, as duas mãos sounds more natural because it refers to the driver’s full pair of hands.

So the phrase strongly suggests both hands, not just any two hands.

Because with body parts, Portuguese often leaves out the possessive when ownership is obvious from context.

So instead of saying:

• com suas duas mãos = with his/her two hands

Portuguese very naturally says:

• com as duas mãos = with both hands

The listener already understands that these are the driver’s hands.

This is very common in Portuguese:

• Ele levantou a mão. = He raised his hand.
• Ela fechou os olhos. = She closed her eyes.

English usually prefers the possessive (his hand, her eyes), but Portuguese often prefers the article (a mão, os olhos) when the owner is clear.

Because Quando chove is an introductory subordinate clause.

The structure is:

• Quando chove, = When it rains,
• o motorista segura o volante com as duas mãos. = main clause

In Portuguese, when this kind of time clause comes before the main clause, a comma is commonly used.

If you reverse the order, the comma is often not needed:

• O motorista segura o volante com as duas mãos quando chove.

Both versions are correct, but the original sentence highlights the condition first.

Yes, mão is somewhat irregular.

• singular: a mão = the hand
• plural: as mãos = the hands

This is one of those nouns whose plural does not follow the most basic pattern learners may expect. You just need to memorize it.

Also, pronunciation matters here:

• mão has a nasal sound
• mãos keeps that nasal quality

So mãos is the correct plural form.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• chove sounds approximately like SHOH-vee

  • ch in Brazilian Portuguese usually sounds like English sh
  • the stress is on cho

• mãos has a nasal vowel and is harder for English speakers
  It sounds roughly like mowngs, but that is only an approximation. The vowel is nasal, so air comes through the nose.

A few pronunciation notes:

• Quando = roughly KWAN-doo
• motorista = roughly moh-toh-REES-tah
• volante = roughly voh-LAN-chee in many Brazilian accents, though the final te can vary by region

If you want, I can also break the whole sentence down syllable by syllable.

Yes. That is actually the most natural reading.

Because the sentence uses the present tense and a generic subject (o motorista), it sounds like:

• a general fact
• a habitual action
• a piece of advice
• a typical behavior

So it feels similar to:

• When it rains, the driver holds the steering wheel with both hands.

If you wanted a very specific event happening right now, Portuguese would usually give more context, such as:

• Agora que está chovendo, o motorista está segurando o volante com as duas mãos.

That version makes the immediate situation much clearer.

Yes. A very natural alternative is:

• O motorista segura o volante com as duas mãos quando chove.

This means the same thing.

The difference is mainly focus:

• Quando chove, o motorista... puts the rainy condition first
• O motorista... quando chove starts with the subject and action first

Both are grammatical and common. The original version is a little more natural if you want to emphasize the condition: when it rains.