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Quando tiveres terminado o exercício, manda‑me uma fotografia da tua folha.

Quando tiveres terminado o exercício, manda‑me uma fotografia da tua folha.
When you have finished the exercise, send me a photo of your sheet.

Breakdown of Quando tiveres terminado o exercício, manda‑me uma fotografia da tua folha.

de
of
ter
to have
terminar
to finish
quando
when
tua
your
uma
a
me
me
a fotografia
the photograph
mandar
to send
o exercício
the exercise
a folha
the sheet
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Questions & Answers about Quando tiveres terminado o exercício, manda‑me uma fotografia da tua folha.

What does tiveres terminado mean exactly, and what tense/mood is it?

Tiveres terminado is:

  • the verb ter (to have) in the future subjunctive, 2nd person singular (tu): tiveres
  • plus the past participle terminado (finished)

Literally: “when you will have finished”, but in natural English we say “when you have finished”.

So Quando tiveres terminado o exercício = “When you have finished the exercise…”, referring to a future time that is uncertain/not fixed, which is why Portuguese uses the subjunctive.

Why is the subjunctive used after quando here? In English we just say “when you have finished”.

In Portuguese, quando followed by a future/hypothetical event often triggers the future subjunctive:

  • Quando tiveres terminado o exercício… – When you have finished the exercise…
  • Quando chegares, liga‑me. – When you arrive, call me.

Reason: the action is in the future and not yet realized. It’s something that may or may not happen, so Portuguese prefers the subjunctive.

If you used the present indicative (quando terminas), it would usually suggest:

  • habitual action: Quando terminas o exercício, fazes os TPC. – When you finish the exercise (whenever that happens), you do your homework.
  • or something more certain/regular, not a one-off future instruction.
What’s the difference between Quando tiveres terminado o exercício and Quando acabares/terminares o exercício?

All three are correct and natural. Nuances:

  1. Quando tiveres terminado o exercício…

    • literally: when you have finished the exercise
    • structure: ter (future subj.) + terminado (participle)
    • slightly more explicit about the completion being fully done before the next action.

  2. Quando acabares o exercício…

    • acabares = future subjunctive of acabar
    • very commonly used in speech. Meaning is effectively the same here:
      When you finish the exercise…

  3. Quando terminares o exercício…

    • terminares = future subjunctive of terminar
    • also very natural; same meaning: When you finish the exercise…

In everyday European Portuguese, you’ll hear Quando acabares o exercício, manda‑me uma fotografia da tua folha at least as often as Quando tiveres terminado…. The sentence you gave just sounds a bit more “careful” or “teacher‑like” but not formal.

How is tiveres formed? What are the forms of the future subjunctive of ter?

Future subjunctive of ter:

  • eu tiver
  • tu tiveres
  • ele / ela / você tiver
  • nós tivermos
  • vós tiverdes
  • eles / elas / vocês tiverem

So:

  • Quando tiveres terminado… – When you (tu) have finished…
  • Quando tiverem terminado… – When you (vocês) have finished…
Is manda‑me an imperative? How does it work for tu and você?

Yes, manda‑me is the affirmative imperative for tu (mandar = to send), plus the pronoun me attached by hyphen.

  • manda (tu) – send! (to one person, informally)
  • mande (você) – send! (to one person, formally)
  • mandem (vocês) – send! (to several people)

With the pronoun me:

  • Tu (informal, singular): manda‑me – send me
  • Você (formal, singular): mande‑me
  • Vocês (plural): mandem‑me

So, talking politely to a student with você in Portugal:

  • Quando tiver terminado o exercício, mande‑me uma fotografia da sua folha.
Why is it manda‑me and not me manda, like in Brazilian Portuguese?

This is a key difference:

European Portuguese (standard):

  • In affirmative imperative, object pronouns usually come after the verb, attached with a hyphen (enclisis):
    • manda‑me – send me
    • diz‑me – tell me
    • mostra‑me – show me

Brazilian Portuguese (everyday speech):

  • Pronouns very often come before the verb (proclisis), even with imperatives:
    • me manda uma foto – send me a photo
    • me diz – tell me

So manda‑me is the normal European way; me manda sounds Brazilian (and informal).

Why is there a hyphen in manda‑me?

The hyphen is required in Portuguese when certain unstressed pronouns (like me, te, lhe, o, a, nos, vos) attach after the verb:

  • manda‑me – send me
  • dá‑me – give me
  • traz‑me – bring me

This happens in:

  • affirmative imperative: manda‑me, diz‑me
  • infinitive: mandar‑me, dizer‑te
  • future indicative / conditional with attached pronouns (more formal/written): mandar‑me‑ás, dir‑lhe‑ei

So manda‑me is verb manda + pronoun me joined with a hyphen, as required by the orthographic rules.

What’s the difference between fotografia and foto? Could we say manda‑me uma foto?

Fotografia and foto mean the same thing: photo / photograph.

  • fotografia

    • slightly more formal or neutral
    • often used in written or careful speech

  • foto

    • everyday, very common, shorter
    • used constantly in speech and informal writing

In this sentence you could perfectly say:

  • Quando tiveres terminado o exercício, manda‑me uma foto da tua folha.

It sounds absolutely natural in modern European Portuguese.

What does folha mean here? Is it “page” or “sheet of paper”?

Folha literally means leaf, and by extension:

  • a sheet of paper
  • a page, especially a loose sheet or a page in a notebook
  • a leaf of a tree

In a school context, a tua folha usually refers to:

  • the sheet of paper or page where you wrote/did the exercise.

So uma fotografia da tua folha ≈ a photo of your sheet / of the page where you did the exercise.

Why is it da tua folha and not just de tua folha or de a tua folha?

Da is a contraction:

  • de + a = da

Then we add the possessive tua:

  • de + a + tua folha → da tua folha

In European Portuguese it is very common (almost standard) to use a definite article with possessives:

  • a tua folha – your sheet
  • o teu caderno – your notebook
  • a sua folha – your sheet (formal/você)

So:

  • da tua folha = of your sheet
  • Saying de tua folha (without the article) sounds unnatural in European Portuguese, but is more acceptable in Brazilian Portuguese.
Why is it tua and not teu?

Portuguese possessives agree in gender and number with the noun, not with the person who owns it.

  • folha is feminine singular → use tua
  • caderno (notebook) is masculine singular → use teu

Examples:

  • a tua folha – your sheet
  • o teu caderno – your notebook
  • as tuas folhas – your sheets
  • os teus cadernos – your notebooks

So in da tua folha, tua matches the feminine noun folha.

Is the whole sentence informal or formal? How would I say it formally or to more than one person?

The original sentence is informal singular, using tu:

  • Quando tiveres terminado o exercício, manda‑me uma fotografia da tua folha.
    • tiveres (2nd person singular, tu)
    • manda‑me (imperative for tu)
    • tua (your – tu)

To make it formal singular (speaking politely to one person, e.g. an adult you don’t know well):

  • Quando tiver terminado o exercício, mande‑me uma fotografia da sua folha.
    • tiver (ele/você)
    • mande‑me (imperative for você)
    • sua (your – você)

To address several people (you all):

  • Quando tiverem terminado o exercício, mandem‑me uma fotografia da vossa folha.
    • tiverem (vocês)
    • mandem‑me (imperative for vocês)
    • vossa (your – plural you, “your (all’s)”)

In a classroom in Portugal, a teacher often uses tu to talk to one pupil and vocês to talk to the whole group.