Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Quer a melodia seja lenta, quer seja rápida, ela continua concentrada. - Whether the melody is slow or fast, she stays focused.

Quer a melodia seja lenta, quer seja rápida ≈ “Whether the melody is slow or fast”.
It introduces two alternatives and says the main clause is true in both cases.

It’s relatively formal/neutral in European Portuguese and very common in written language, a bit less in everyday casual speech (where “seja lenta ou rápida” or “quer seja lenta, quer rápida” are also very natural).

Why do we use seja instead of é after quer?

Because quer in this structure normally triggers the present subjunctive, not the indicative.

seja = present subjunctive of ser
é = present indicative of ser

We use the subjunctive here because:

We are talking about hypothetical or alternative possibilities (the melody might be slow, or it might be fast).
With quer … quer …, Portuguese conventionally uses the subjunctive to express “whichever the case may be”.

So:

Quer a melodia seja lenta, quer seja rápida
(correct and natural)
Quer a melodia é lenta, quer é rápida
(ungrammatical)

Why don’t we repeat a melodia in the second part? Could we say quer a melodia seja rápida too?

The subject a melodia is mentioned in the first clause and then understood (ellipsis) in the second clause:

Quer a melodia seja lenta, quer seja rápida
Literally: “Whether the melody is slow, whether (it) is fast…”

This is very normal: once the subject is clear, Portuguese often leaves it out in coordinated structures.

You could repeat it:

Quer a melodia seja lenta, quer a melodia seja rápida

This is grammatically correct, but in normal style it feels heavy and redundant. Native speakers much prefer the elliptical version you have in the sentence.

Why are the adjectives lenta and rápida in the feminine form?

Because they agree in gender and number with the noun a melodia, which is:

feminine: the article a shows this,
singular.

Agreement rules:

melodia → feminine singular
→ adjectives must also be feminine singular: lenta, rápida

If the noun were masculine, you would change the adjectives:

o ritmo (masculine)
→ Quer o ritmo seja lento, quer seja rápido, …

What does ela refer to here – “she” or “it”? How do we know?

Grammatically, ela is a feminine singular pronoun meaning “she” or “it (feminine)”.

In this sentence, ela refers back to a melodia (also feminine singular), so in English we’d translate it as “it”:

a melodia → ela

We know this because:

It’s the most recent feminine singular noun in the sentence.
There’s no other clear feminine noun competitor.
It makes sense contextually: “Whether the melody is slow or fast, it remains focused.”

In Portuguese, ele/ela can refer to things as well as people, and gender is determined by the noun’s grammatical gender.

Why do we say continua concentrada and not just é concentrada?

Continuar adds the idea of continuity – something remains in a state it was already in.

ela continua concentrada ≈ “she/it stays/remains focused”
ela é concentrada would sound more like a permanent trait (“she is a focused person” / “it is (by nature) focused”), not about maintaining focus in this specific situation.

In this sentence, the idea is:

Regardless of the melody’s speed, she/it keeps on being focused.

So continua concentrada fits perfectly.

Could we say this in a simpler or more colloquial way?

Yes. Some natural alternatives in European Portuguese:

Seja a melodia lenta ou rápida, ela continua concentrada.
Quer a melodia seja lenta ou rápida, ela continua concentrada.
Quer a melodia lenta, quer rápida, ela continua concentrada. (dropping seja, quite idiomatic)

In even more everyday speech, someone might drop quer altogether:

Se a melodia for lenta ou rápida, ela continua concentrada.

They all keep the same basic meaning; the original version is just a bit more formal and “written” in style.

Is it correct to mix quer with ou, like quer … ou …?

Yes, you will see:

Quer a melodia seja lenta ou rápida, ela continua concentrada.

This is common and perfectly acceptable, especially in speech. Structurally:

quer introduces the idea “whether”,
ou simply connects the two alternatives (“or”).

The more classical/careful pattern is quer … quer …, but quer … ou … is widely used and understood.

Can we change the word order and say Ela continua concentrada, quer a melodia seja lenta, quer seja rápida?

Yes, that’s also correct:

Ela continua concentrada, quer a melodia seja lenta, quer seja rápida.

This version:

starts with the main clause (“She remains focused”),
then adds the condition/contrast as an afterthought.

The meaning is the same. The choice is mostly about style and emphasis:

Original: emphasizes the contrast in the melody first.
Reordered: emphasizes her/its focus first.

Are there differences between Portugal and Brazil in using quer … quer …?

Both European and Brazilian Portuguese use quer … quer … with subjunctive and the same meaning (“whether … or …”).

Differences are mostly about frequency and style:

In European Portuguese, it feels fairly normal in written and semi-formal speech.
In Brazilian Portuguese, it can sound a bit more formal or bookish, and speakers might more often say:
- Seja … seja …
- Seja … ou …
- or just se … ou se ….

But the sentence you have would be understood and accepted in both varieties.

Can quer … quer … be used without a verb, only with nouns or adjectives?

Yes. Portuguese often omits the verb seja when it’s clear from context.

For example:

Full form:
Quer a melodia seja lenta, quer seja rápida, ela continua concentrada.
Elliptical form (very idiomatic):
Quer a melodia lenta, quer rápida, ela continua concentrada.

Also with nouns:

Quer carne, quer peixe, ele come tudo.
(“Whether it’s meat or fish, he eats everything.”)

In these cases, seja is simply understood:
Quer (seja) carne, quer (seja) peixe…