Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Talvez tu devas descer pelo elevador se estiveres com mais pressa. - Maybe you should go down by the elevator if you are in more of a hurry.

Talvez translates to "maybe" or "perhaps" in English. It signals that the advice is not a strict command but a suggestion open to possibility.

Why is devas used instead of deves?

In Portuguese, words like talvez trigger the use of the subjunctive mood to reflect uncertainty. Devas is the present subjunctive form of dever for the informal tu, whereas deves is the indicative form. This usage makes the suggestion less definitive.

What role does tu play in this sentence?

Tu is the informal second-person singular pronoun common in European Portuguese. It directly addresses someone in a friendly, informal context, much like saying "you" among friends.

What does the phrase descer pelo elevador mean?

Descer means "to go down" or "to descend." Combined with pelo elevador (which is a contraction of por + o elevador meaning "by the elevator"), the phrase instructs someone to go down using the elevator.

Why is the contraction pelo used before elevador?

Pelo is a contraction of por and o. It is used here to express the means by which the action is performed—indicating that one should descend by way of the elevator.

Why is the subjunctive mood used in se estiveres com mais pressa?

The clause se estiveres com mais pressa translates to "if you're in a hurry." The verb estiveres is in the subjunctive mood because it describes a hypothetical condition. In Portuguese, conditional or uncertain scenarios typically employ the subjunctive to express that the situation is not yet realized.