Setting the Terms
When you sign a contract or read the terms of a subscription, you will often encounter strict conditions and exceptions. In Portuguese, these are expressed using specific conjunctions that require the Subjunctive mood to show that the events are contingent or hypothetical.
Conditions: Contanto que
To express a firm condition, we use contanto que (provided that). Because it introduces a requirement that must be met in order for something else to happen, it triggers the Present Subjunctive.
| You can cancel the subscription provided that you pay the penalty. | Podes cancelar a subscrição contanto que pagues a penalização. |
| I sign the contract provided that the subscription is cheap. | Assino o contrato contanto que a subscrição seja barata. |
| The subscriber agrees provided that the terms are clear. | O assinante concorda contanto que os termos sejam claros. |
Notice how the verbs immediately following contanto que (pagues, seja, and sejam) are all conjugated in the present subjunctive.
Exceptions: Salvo se and Exceto se
To establish an exception to a rule, we use salvo se or exceto se. Both of these phrases mean "unless" and are completely interchangeable.
Because these exceptions usually refer to a potential action or a hypothetical scenario that might happen, they trigger the Future Subjunctive.
| The subscriber pays double the penalty unless he cancels the subscription today. | O assinante paga o dobro da penalização salvo se cancelar a subscrição hoje. |
| We accept the clause unless there is an error. | Aceitamos a cláusula exceto se houver um erro. |
| The clause protects the subscriber, unless he lies. | A cláusula protege o assinante, salvo se ele mentir. |
As you read the fine print in these agreements, pay attention to the future subjunctive verbs (such as cancelar, houver, and mentir) right after salvo se and exceto se.
| While you work here, you do not pay the subscription unless you ignore the rules. | Enquanto trabalhas aqui, não pagas a subscrição exceto se ignorares as regras. |
| I do not renew the annual subscription unless they lower the price. | Não renovo a subscrição anual salvo se eles baixarem o preço. |