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Portuguese (Portugal)

### The Continuous Subjunctive

We already know that in Portugal, ongoing actions (equivalent to the English "-ing" form) are formed with **estar a** followed by an infinitive. But what happens when we want to describe an ongoing action after a phrase that requires the subjunctive, such as a doubt, a wish, or an emotion? 

We use the **continuous subjunctive** (*conjuntivo contínuo*). 

### Forming the Continuous Subjunctive

To form this, simply conjugate the verb **estar** in the subjunctive, and keep the **a** + infinitive exactly as usual. 

Here is the present subjunctive of **estar**:

| Pronoun | Present Subjunctive |
| --- | --- |
| eu | esteja |
| tu | estejas |
| ele / ela / você | esteja |
| nós | estejamos |
| eles / elas / vocês | estejam |

When you add **a** and the main verb, you create the continuous subjunctive. For example, if "you are getting ready" is *estás a preparar*, then "I want you to be getting ready" becomes *quero que estejas a preparar*.

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### Triggers for the Subjunctive

Just like the regular subjunctive, this continuous form is triggered by expressions of:
- **Desire or hope:** *espero que* (I hope that), *quero que* (I want that)
- **Doubt or disbelief:** *duvido que* (I doubt that), *não acredito que* (I don't believe that)
- **Emotion or opinion:** *é horrível que* (it's horrible that), *é bom que* (it's good that)
- **Specific conjunctions:** *embora* (even though)

Notice how the triggers below force **estar** into the subjunctive (*esteja*, *estejam*), while the action itself is ongoing (*a demorar*, *a chegar*, *a festejar*). Also note that when dealing with reflexive verbs, the reflexive pronoun is often placed before the verb **estar** (like *te estejas a demorar*).

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### Getting Ready for a Night Out

When preparing for a night out, you might be dealing with a delay while someone puts on lipstick (*o batom*) or hairspray (*a laca*). The continuous subjunctive is perfectly suited for expressing impatience, hopes, or doubts about what your friends are currently doing!

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Continuous subjunctive (esteja a)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prefix

prep

preposition

pron

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstratives and the verb to be (isto é, o, a)

Subject pronouns and negation (eu, não)

Yes/no questions and question words (quem, o que)

Plural pronouns, articles, and verbs (somos, são, os, as)

Origin and possession (de, do, da)

Introductions (chamar-se)

Indefinite articles (um, uma, uns, umas)

The verb to be for locations (estar)

Contrasting the two verbs to be (ser vs. estar)

Preposition for locations (em, no, na)

Numbers 0 to 10 (zero, um, dois)

The verb to have (tenho, tem)

Regular -ar verbs (falar, trabalhar)

Regular -er verbs (comer, beber)

Regular -ir verbs (abrir, partir)

My, your, and our (o meu, a nossa)

His, hers, and theirs (dele, dela)

Adjective agreement and placement

Days of the week (segunda-feira)

Months of the year (janeiro)

Counting by tens to 100 (trinta, quarenta...)

Telling time (é uma, são...)

Asking about time (quando, a que horas)

The verb to go (ir)

Prepositions of direction (a, para)

Preposition a contractions (ao, à, aos, às)

Prepositions of place (ao lado de, em frente de...)

Demonstratives (este, esse, aquele)

Contractions with demonstratives (neste, desse, daquele)

Asking which and how many (qual, quanto)

Plurals ending in -ão (-ões, -ãos, -ães)

Plurals ending in consonants (-ns, -is, -es)

The verb to like (gostar de)

The verb to need (precisar de)

The verb to want (querer)

The verb can or may (poder)

Expressing obligation (ter de)

Adverbs of degree (muito, pouco)

Quantifiers (muito, pouco)

Comparatives (mais... do que, menos... do que)

Equality comparisons (tão... como)

The preposition com (comigo, contigo)

Coordinating conjunctions (e, mas, ou, porque)

The preposition por (pelo, pela)

Double negation (nunca, nada, ninguém)

Present continuous (estar a)

Near future (ir)

Past tense of regular -ar verbs

Past tense of regular -er and -ir verbs

Past tense of ser and ir (fui, foi)

Direct object pronouns (me, te, o, a, nos, os, as)

Pronoun placement with negatives and questions

Greetings and courtesy (bom dia, obrigado)

Physical states with ter (ter fome, ter frio)

Asking the way (à direita, sempre em frente)

Colours (vermelho, amarelo, cor-de-rosa)

Money and shopping (custar, a moeda)

Getting around (o motorista, a paragem de autocarro)

Weather and seasons (faz calor, o inverno)

Omitting the subject pronoun

Where things are: ficar (Onde fica...?)

Richer questions: que + noun and é que

Numbers above 100 (cento e vinte, mil)

First-person sound changes (durmo, prefiro)

Advice and ability: dever and saber

Asking why: porquê and porque

When one thing happens: quando-clauses

Here and there: aqui, aí, ali (cá e lá)

Formal and plural possessives: o seu, o vosso

Irregular presents: ver, vir, dar

Present irregulars

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Stem-changing reflexives

Attached object pronouns (-lo, -la, -los, -las)

Nasal attached pronouns (-no, -na, -nos, -nas)

Pronoun placement with adverbs

Past tense of fazer, dizer, and trazer

Past tense of ter, estar, poder, and saber

Past tense of querer and vir

Past tense of ver, dar, and ler

Past tense reflexive verbs (-se)

Time elapsed in the past (há)

Question	Answer
flawless	impecável
I want you to be getting your clothes ready, because the night has to be flawless.	Quero que estejas a preparar a roupa, porque a noite tem de ser impecável.
the lipstick	o batom
the hairspray	a laca
I doubt she's already putting on lipstick and hairspray.	Duvido que ela já esteja a pôr batom e laca.
the taxi	o táxi
It's horrible that you're taking so long, while the taxi waits!	É horrível que te estejas a demorar, enquanto o táxi espera!
to party	festejar
euphoric	eufórico
I don't think the guys are partying yet, even though they are euphoric.	Não acho que os rapazes já estejam a festejar, embora estejam eufóricos.
the cocktail	o cocktail
As soon as we arrive, it's possible they're already drinking a cocktail.	Assim que chegarmos, é possível que eles já estejam a beber um cocktail.
I don't think she's ruining her hairstyle with so much hairspray.	Não acho que ela esteja a estragar o penteado com tanta laca.
It's important that you're wearing the red lipstick so you look flawless!	É importante que estejas a usar o batom vermelho para ficares impecável!
I hope he isn't sleeping, because I'm already ready to go out!	Espero que ele não esteja a dormir, porque já estou pronta para sair!
When you call them, they'd better be hurrying up!	Quando lhes ligares, é bom que se estejam a despachar!
I don't believe the taxi is already arriving while we're drinking the cocktail.	Não acredito que o táxi já esteja a chegar enquanto bebemos o cocktail.
the outfit	o visual
the fun	a diversão
I hope that you are preparing the outfit for the fun.	Espero que estejas a preparar o visual para a diversão.
the delay (taking a long time)	a demora
I am euphoric to celebrate and I hope that you are not explaining the delay.	Estou eufórico para festejar e espero que não estejas a explicar a demora.
Even though she is trying on the outfit, the delay ruins the fun.	Embora ela esteja a experimentar o visual, a demora arruína a diversão.