Breakdown of Quando cumprires a promessa, sentirás orgulho.
tu
you
quando
when
sentir
to feel
cumprir
to keep
a promessa
the promise
o orgulho
the pride
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Questions & Answers about Quando cumprires a promessa, sentirás orgulho.
What tense is cumprires, and when do we use it?
Cumprires is the second-person singular future subjunctive of cumprir. In European Portuguese, when a subordinate clause introduced by conjunctions like quando, se, assim que or logo que refers to a future action, you must use the future subjunctive.
What does sentirás mean, and what tense is it?
Sentirás is the second-person singular future indicative of sentir. It literally means you will feel.
Why do we use a subjunctive form (cumprires) after quando instead of the indicative?
Normative Portuguese requires the future subjunctive in temporal clauses that point to events which have not yet happened. So instead of saying quando tu cumpres, we say quando cumprires to mark that the fulfilment is in the future.
What is the difference between cumprirás and cumprires?
Cumprirás (future indicative) states a future fact – you will fulfil. Cumprires (future subjunctive) is used inside a time or conditional clause after conjunctions like quando – when you fulfil.
Why is the subject pronoun tu omitted from both verbs?
Portuguese is a pro-drop language. The verb endings in cumprires and sentirás already identify the subject as tu, so the pronoun is optional and often left out unless you want extra emphasis.
Is the comma between the two clauses mandatory?
When the subordinate clause (the quando part) comes first, a comma is standard: Quando cumprires a promessa, sentirás orgulho. If you place the main clause before it, the comma becomes optional: Sentirás orgulho quando cumprires a promessa.
How would the sentence change if you used você instead of tu?
With você you shift to third-person forms:
Quando você cumprir a promessa, sentirá orgulho.
Why is there no article before orgulho, and can you add one?
After sentir, emotion nouns like orgulho typically appear without an article (sentir orgulho = feel pride). You could add a definite article (sentirás o orgulho), but that sounds more specific or emphatic.
Could you say Ao cumprir a promessa, sentirás orgulho instead of Quando cumprires a promessa, sentirás orgulho?
Yes. Ao cumprir a promessa uses the infinitive with “a” to mean upon fulfilling. It’s a common alternative that avoids the subjunctive clause.
What nuance changes if you replace quando with se?
Quando implies the speaker expects the promise to be kept at some point. Se introduces uncertainty or a conditional sense – if you fulfil the promise, then you will feel proud.