When navigating the high seas under an unpredictable captain, you will need to follow orders carefully. To express that an action will happen "according to how" or "exactly as" someone decides, Portuguese uses conformity clauses paired with the Future Subjunctive (Futuro do Conjuntivo).
Conformity Clauses: Como and Conforme
Use the conjunctions como or conforme (both meaning "as" or "according to") to link your actions to the instructions governing them. When the guiding action hasn't happened yet—like a pending command—the verb following como or conforme must be in the Future Subjunctive.
- Regular verbs: The third-person singular (for ele/ela/você) is identical to the infinitive (e.g., ordenar, decidir).
- Irregular verbs: These use a special stem. For example, querer becomes quiser, and dizer becomes disser.
Notice how the main action in these examples depends on an unpredictable future command:
| Do as he wants, the captain is unpredictable! | Faz conforme ele quiser, o capitão é imprevisível! |
| We will hoist the sails exactly as the captain orders. | Vamos içar as velas como o capitão ordenar. |
| Turn the helm to port exactly as I say! | Vira o leme para bombordo conforme eu disser! |
| Do everything according to how the captain decides. | Faz tudo conforme o capitão decidir. |
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