Breakdown of É urgente que tu troques de roupa agora, porque vai começar a reunião em cinco minutos.
ser
to be
tu
you
agora
now
porque
because
em
in
que
that
começar
to start
a reunião
the meeting
a roupa
the clothes
urgente
urgent
trocar de
to change
cinco
five
o minuto
the minute
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Questions & Answers about É urgente que tu troques de roupa agora, porque vai começar a reunião em cinco minutos.
Why is the verb troques in the subjunctive mood instead of the indicative mood?
The clause “É urgente que…” expresses urgency and necessity rather than stating a fact. In Portuguese, when an action is desired, required, or uncertain, it is common to use the present subjunctive. Here, troques (from the verb trocar) is in the subjunctive mood to indicate that the change of clothes is a necessary action that the speaker expects to happen.
What is the significance of using tu in this sentence instead of você?
In European Portuguese, tu is the informal second-person singular pronoun and is commonly used among friends, family, or in casual settings. Unlike in Brazilian Portuguese where você might be more prevalent, tu is standard in Portugal for informal speech. This choice also affects the verb conjugation, which is why we see troques rather than a form that would accompany você.
What does the phrase troques de roupa mean in this sentence?
The expression troques de roupa literally means “change your clothes.” It is an idiomatic way to instruct someone to switch to different clothing. In the context of the sentence, it emphasizes the urgent need for the person to change, likely because they are not yet appropriately dressed for the upcoming meeting.
How is the near future expressed in the part porque vai começar a reunião em cinco minutos?
The phrase vai começar uses a periphrastic future construction—combining the present form of ir (vai) with the infinitive começar (to start). This structure is commonly used in Portuguese to indicate that an event is about to happen soon. In this case, it signals that the meeting is scheduled to begin in just five minutes, adding to the urgency of the command.
What role does porque play in the sentence, and why is it written as a single word here?
Porque is a causal conjunction meaning “because.” It introduces the reason for the urgency conveyed in the first clause. In Portuguese, when porque is used to give an explanation or express cause, it is written as one word. This distinguishes it from similar-looking forms such as por que (used in questions) or o porquê (used as a noun meaning “the reason”).