Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O Pedro fala como se já soubesse o futuro de cada pessoa. - Pedro speaks as if he already knew everyone’s future.

It often sounds more natural in everyday European Portuguese, especially in speech.
In more formal writing (news headlines, academic text), the article is sometimes dropped: Pedro disse que…

In Brazilian Portuguese, using the article before names is less common and more regional, so Brazilians are more likely to say just Pedro, not o Pedro.

So in Portugal, O Pedro fala… is perfectly normal and actually the default in many contexts.

What exactly does como se mean here? Is it always translated as as if?

Como se literally is something like how if, but idiomatically it means:

as if, as though

It introduces a comparison with a hypothetical or unreal situation:

O Pedro fala como se já soubesse o futuro…
→ Pedro speaks *as if he already knew the future…*

Most of the time como se will be translated as as if or as though in English. Whether that situation is real, possible, or clearly unreal is then shown in Portuguese by the choice of verb tense/mood after como se (here: soubesse, the subjunctive).

Why is soubesse used instead of sabe or soube?

Soubesse is used because como se here introduces an unreal or clearly unlikely situation.

sabe = he knows (present indicative, stating a fact)
soube = he knew / he found out (preterite indicative, a completed past event)
soubesse = imperfect subjunctive

After como se, when you’re describing an imaginary or contrary‑to‑fact situation, Portuguese uses the imperfect subjunctive, not the indicative:

O Pedro fala como se já soubesse o futuro…
= He talks that way, but he doesn’t actually know everyone’s future.

If we used sabe, we’d be saying he really knows it (just a statement of fact), which is not the idea here. Soubesse signals that this “knowing the future” is only a fiction created by the way he talks.

What tense and mood is soubesse, and how is it formed from saber?

Soubesse is:

imperfect subjunctive of saber

Formation (for regular verbs) is based on the third person plural of the preterite:

Take souberam (they knew / they found out).
Remove -ram → soub-.
Add the imperfect subjunctive endings:

eu soubesse
tu soubesses
ele/ela/você soubesse
nós soubéssemos
vós soubésseis (rare in modern usage)
eles/elas/vocês soubessem

In your sentence we have ele/o Pedro → soubesse.

Could we use saiba instead of soubesse after como se?

You technically can use the present subjunctive (saiba) after como se, but it changes the meaning.

Como se
- present subjunctive (e.g. saiba)
  → used when the situation is seen as real or possible.
Como se
- imperfect subjunctive (e.g. soubesse)
  → used when the situation is seen as unreal / contrary to fact.

Compare:

O Pedro fala como se já soubesse o futuro de cada pessoa.
→ He speaks as if he already knew everyone’s future, but he doesn’t; it’s clearly not real.
O Pedro fala como se soubesse mais do que nós.
(This can often be understood as “He speaks as if he might actually know more than us.” Context-dependent.)

In your example, the idea of someone literally knowing everyone’s future is obviously unreal, so soubesse (imperfect subjunctive) is the natural choice.

What is the role of já here? Why say já soubesse if it’s about the future?

Já usually means already, and that’s also the meaning here, but it’s giving a nuance rather than a literal time reference.

já soubesse o futuro = already knew the future

The idea is: Pedro talks in such a way that it feels like he already has knowledge of each person’s future in advance, before it happens.

In Portuguese, já is often used:

to emphasize that something is done before you would expect,
or to make the statement sound more vivid or emphatic.

So já here strengthens the impression that this knowledge is surprisingly complete and ahead of time, not that some specific earlier moment is important.

Can the word order change? For example, could we say como se soubesse já o futuro de cada pessoa?

Some movement is possible, but not all options sound equally natural.

Most natural positions for já here are:

como se já soubesse o futuro de cada pessoa ✅ (standard)
como se soubesse já o futuro de cada pessoa ⚠️ possible, but sounds more marked/emphatic

Normally, adverbs like já come before the main verb in European Portuguese, especially in neutral sentences. Moving já after soubesse can sound more literary or emphasize já.

So:

Your original sentence is the most idiomatic:
- O Pedro fala como se já soubesse o futuro de cada pessoa.

Why is it o futuro de cada pessoa and not something like o futuro de todas as pessoas or o futuro de todo o mundo?

All of these are grammatically correct, but they don’t mean exactly the same:

de cada pessoa = of each person, focusing on individuals one by one.
de todas as pessoas = of all (the) people, focusing more on the group as a whole.
In European Portuguese, de toda a gente is a common, slightly colloquial equivalent of of everybody.
de todo o mundo is understood in Portugal, but todo o mundo is more typical/neutral in Brazilian Portuguese (EP speakers often prefer toda a gente).

The choice of cada pessoa highlights that Pedro seems to know the individual future of every single person, which is stronger and more personal than just “everyone’s future as a group.”

Is there any important difference here between European and Brazilian Portuguese?

There are a few stylistic differences, but the grammar with “como se … soubesse” is the same:

Article with the name:
- European PT: O Pedro fala… (very common)
- Brazilian PT: more likely just Pedro fala…
“Everyone”:
- European PT: typical: o futuro de toda a gente
- Brazilian PT: typical: o futuro de todo mundo
Pronunciation differences, but the structure fala como se já soubesse o futuro de cada pessoa is valid in both.

So from a grammar point of view (especially the use of como se + imperfect subjunctive), the sentence works the same in both varieties.

How would I say a similar sentence about the past, like “Pedro used to talk as if he already knew the future of each person”?

You mainly need to change fala (present) to falava (imperfect), to express a past habit:

O Pedro falava como se já soubesse o futuro de cada pessoa.

Notice:

falava = was speaking / used to speak (imperfect indicative, describing a past habit or ongoing situation)
soubesse stays the same (imperfect subjunctive) because the “as if he knew” part is still unreal and still “in the past” relative to the situation being described.

So you don’t change soubesse; only the main verb fala becomes falava.

Are there other common expressions like como se that require the subjunctive in Portuguese?

Yes. Como se is one of several conjunctions that often trigger the subjunctive. Others include:

embora – although, even though
- Embora esteja cansado, vou sair.
  Although I’m tired, I’ll go out.
a não ser que – unless
- Não vamos, a não ser que chova muito.
  We won’t go, unless it rains a lot.
caso – in case
- Leva um casaco, caso faça frio.
  Take a coat, in case it gets cold.
antes que – before
- Sai daqui antes que eu me zangue.
  Get out of here before I get angry.
mesmo que – even if / even though
- Vou, mesmo que não queiras.
  I’m going, even if you don’t want me to.
para que – so that / in order that
- Fala devagar para que todos entendam.
  Speak slowly so that everyone understands.

Learning to recognize these “subjunctive triggers” helps you know when forms like soubesse are expected.