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Quando terminar o trabalho, termino sessão e desligo o portátil.

Quando terminar o trabalho, termino sessão e desligo o portátil.
When I finish the work, I sign out and turn off the laptop.
FromLesson 38inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Quando terminar o trabalho, termino sessão e desligo o portátil.

e
and
terminar
to finish
quando
when
o trabalho
the work
desligar
to turn off
o portátil
the laptop
terminar sessão
to sign out

Questions & Answers about Quando terminar o trabalho, termino sessão e desligo o portátil.

Why is it terminar in Quando terminar o trabalho and not a present or future tense?

Because Portuguese uses the future subjunctive after time words like quando (when), assim que (as soon as), logo que, and conditionals like se when they refer to an action in the future. Here, the finishing of the work is a future/uncertain event, so you use the future subjunctive: Quando terminar o trabalho…

Future subjunctive of terminar:

  • eu/ele/ela: terminar
  • tu: terminares
  • nós: terminarmos
  • vós: terminardes
  • eles/elas: terminarem

Note that for 1st and 3rd person singular it looks identical to the infinitive, which is why it can be confusing.

Can I say Quando eu terminar o trabalho? Does adding eu change anything?
Yes, it’s correct. Portuguese often drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject. Adding eu is optional and can add emphasis or clarity. In your sentence, the main clause (termino) already makes it clear that the subject is “I.”
Why is the second part in the present tense (termino, desligo) instead of a future?

Portuguese often uses the present indicative to talk about scheduled, habitual, or near‑future actions after a future time clause. So:

  • Quando terminar o trabalho, termino sessão e desligo o portátil. = plan/routine/near future You could also use the future indicative for a more formal or “committed” tone:
  • Quando terminar o trabalho, terminarei/encerrerei a sessão e desligarei o portátil. Or use the periphrastic future:
  • Quando terminar o trabalho, vou terminar a sessão e (vou) desligar o portátil.
Is the comma after the first clause necessary?

Yes. When a subordinate clause like Quando terminar o trabalho comes first, standard punctuation puts a comma after it. If you flip the order, you normally drop the comma:

  • Termino sessão e desligo o portátil quando terminar o trabalho.
Why o trabalho? Could I say Quando terminar de trabalhar instead?
  • Quando terminar o trabalho refers to finishing a specific task/job.
  • Quando terminar de trabalhar refers to finishing the activity of working (e.g., at the end of your workday). Both are fine; choose based on what you want to emphasize. You’ll also hear Quando acabar o trabalho and Quando acabar de trabalhar in Portugal.
Is terminar sessão the normal way to say “log out” in Portugal? What about encerrar sessão or sair?

All three are used:

  • Terminar sessão and encerrar sessão are standard in Portugal, especially in UI text.
  • Sair / sair da conta is very common in everyday usage on websites/apps.
  • Anglicisms like fazer logout occur but are less formal.
Should it be termino sessão or termino a sessão?
Both occur. As a fixed IT expression, terminar sessão is often used without the article (you’ll see it on buttons/menus). In running prose, many speakers prefer the article: termino a sessão. Neither is wrong.
Does o portátil mean “my laptop”? Should I say o meu portátil?
In European Portuguese, the definite article is often used where English would use a possessive, especially when context makes ownership obvious. Desligo o portátil can naturally mean “I turn off my laptop.” If you need to be explicit, say o meu portátil.
What’s the difference between desligar, apagar, fechar, and encerrar here?
  • desligar o portátil = to power off/turn off the laptop (standard).
  • apagar is common for lights/cigarettes but many people also say apagar o computador; desligar is the safer choice for devices.
  • fechar o portátil usually means closing the lid, not powering off.
  • encerrar is used for programs/sessions (e.g., encerrar sessão), not typically for turning off hardware.
How do I pronounce the tricky bits like Quando, trabalho, sessão, and portátil?

Approximate European Portuguese:

  • Quando: KWAHN-doo (the a is short, nasalized)
  • terminar: tuh-mee-NAR
  • trabalho: truh-BAH-lyoo (the LH = the “lli” in “million”)
  • termino: tuhr-MEE-noo
  • sessão: suh-SOWN (final ão is a nasal “ow”)
  • desligo: dez-LEE-goo (the s sounds like “z” here)
  • portátil: por-TAH-teel (stress on TA; final L is “dark”)
Can I say Quando o trabalho terminar instead of Quando terminar o trabalho?
Yes. Quando o trabalho terminar simply places the subject (o trabalho) before the verb in the subordinate clause. Meaning is the same; word order choice is stylistic/emphatic.
Are there alternatives to quando that fit here, like “as soon as”?

Yes:

If I replace o trabalho with a pronoun, where does it go?

With quando, Portuguese prefers proclisis (pronoun before the verb):

  • Quando o terminar, termino (a) sessão e desligo o portátil. In the main clause (neutral affirmative), enclisis is used:
  • Desligo-o. (I turn it off.) Note the hyphen in enclisis: desligo-o; with infinitives/participles you’d see forms like terminá-lo.
Is there any nuance between terminar and acabar here?

They’re near-synonyms. In Portugal:

  • terminar can sound a touch more neutral/formal.
  • acabar is very common in speech. Both work in your sentence. Just remember that in other contexts, acabar de + infinitive often means “to have just done” (e.g., Acabei de trabalhar = “I’ve just finished working”).
Should it be quando or quanto?
Always quando for “when.” Quanto is “how much/many.” So Quando terminar o trabalho is correct; Quanto terminar o trabalho is wrong.
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