Question 1

What tense is passar in “quando a nuvem passar”? It looks like the infinitive—why isn’t it just passa?

Accepted Answer

Here passar is actually the future subjunctive. In Portuguese, time clauses introduced by quando (and similar words like assim que, depois que, logo que, até que) require the future subjunctive when referring to actions that haven’t happened yet. For a regular –ar verb you form it by taking the third-person plural of the preterite (passaram), dropping –ram (→ passa) and adding the subjunctive endings:

• eu passar  
• tu passares  
• ele/ela passar  
• nós passarmos  
• vós passardes  
• eles/elas passarem

Hence “quando a nuvem passar” = “when the cloud has passed” (future).

Question 2

Why is there an article before nuvem—why a nuvem rather than just nuvem?

Accepted Answer

Unlike English, European Portuguese usually requires a definite article before singular common nouns even when speaking generally or for a single object. So instead of saying “when cloud passes,” you say quando a nuvem passar. Omitting the article would sound unnatural in most contexts.

Question 3

What is vamos ver? Isn’t that present tense?

Accepted Answer

Vamos ver is the periphrastic future (literally “we go to see”), equivalent to English we’ll see. It’s formed with the present of ir + infinitive and is very common in spoken and written Portuguese to express what will happen next or what you plan to do.

Question 4

Could I say “veremos o pôr‐do‐sol” instead of “vamos ver o pôr‐do‐sol”? What’s the difference?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can use the synthetic future veremos (“we will see”), but it sounds a bit more formal or literary. Vamos ver is more colloquial and frequent in everyday speech. Both are grammatically correct:

• Quando a nuvem passar, veremos o pôr-do-sol.  
• Quando a nuvem passar, vamos ver o pôr-do-sol.

Question 5

Why is pôr-do-sol hyphenated and why does pôr carry a circumflex accent?

Accepted Answer

1. Hyphenation: Under the current orthographic rules, compound nouns made of a verbal noun + preposition + noun are linked with hyphens (e.g. pôr-do-sol, cu-pó-da-noite).  
2. Circumflex: The accent on pôr distinguishes it from the preposition por. Here pôr is a noun derived from the verb “to put,” meaning “the act of putting [the sun],” hence “sunset.”

Question 6

Do I always need the article o before pôr-do-sol?

Accepted Answer

In most sentences yes, because you’re referring to a specific event—the sunset: ver o pôr-do-sol. Omitting o (“ver pôr-do-sol”) is very informal or headline-like and not standard in full sentences.

Question 7

Why is there a comma after “quando a nuvem passar”? Can I drop it?

Accepted Answer

When a subordinate adverbial clause (like one introduced by quando) comes before the main clause, Portuguese punctuation normally requires a comma. If you invert the order, the comma becomes optional:

• Quando a nuvem passar, vamos ver o pôr-do-sol.  
• Vamos ver o pôr-do-sol quando a nuvem passar.

Question 8

What other conjunctions trigger the future subjunctive like quando does?

Accepted Answer

Common time or conditional conjunctions that take future subjunctive in Portuguese include:  
• assim que (as soon as)  
• logo que (as soon as)  
• depois que (after)  
• até que (until)  
• enquanto (while, when referring to future)

E.g. “Assim que chegares, liga-me.” (“As soon as you arrive, call me.”)

Question 9

How would I say “when the clouds pass” in the plural?

Accepted Answer

Just make both subject and verb plural in the future subjunctive:

• Quando as nuvens passarem, vamos ver o pôr-do-sol.

Question 10

Could I use assistir ao pôr-do-sol instead of ver o pôr-do-sol?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Assistir a + noun means “to watch/attend.” You’d say assistir ao pôr-do-sol (note the preposition a + article o → ao). It’s slightly more formal or evocative, whereas ver is more neutral.

Quando a nuvem passar, vamos ver o pôr-do-sol.

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