Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Brazil): Quando a senhora vir o escorregador, vai entender por que a menina quer brincar ali de novo. - When you see the slide, ma’am, you will understand why the girl wants to play there again.

Quando a senhora vir o escorregador, vai entender por que a menina quer brincar ali de novo.

When you see the slide, ma’am, you will understand why the girl wants to play there again.

Breakdown of Quando a senhora vir o escorregador, vai entender por que a menina quer brincar ali de novo.

querer

to want

to go (future auxiliary)

Questions & Answers about Quando a senhora vir o escorregador, vai entender por que a menina quer brincar ali de novo.

Why is vir used here? Doesn’t vir usually mean to come?

Yes, vir is normally the infinitive to come. But in this sentence, vir is not the verb vir. It is the future subjunctive form of ver (to see).

So here:

quando a senhora vir o escorregador = when you see the slide

This is a very common point of confusion because:

ver = to see
future subjunctive of ver = vir
vir = also the infinitive to come

The meaning is clear from the context. Since the sentence has a senhora vir o escorregador, it must mean see the slide, not come the slide.

Why do we use the future subjunctive after quando?