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Portuguese (Portugal)

When pursuing ambitious life goals, you need a strong mindset. To express relentless determination in Portuguese, you will often use a highly expressive, repetitive verb structure that translates to "no matter what" or "whatever happens."

### The "No Matter What" Formula

To say that an action will happen regardless of the circumstances, Portuguese uses a "reduplicative" concessive phrase. This means you repeat the same verb twice, sandwiching a relative word like **o que** (what), **quem** (who), or **onde** (where) in the middle.

The formula is:
**Present Subjunctive** + relative word + **Future Subjunctive**

Because both verbs are in the subjunctive mood, irregular verbs will show a clear difference in form between the first and second half of the phrase. For example, the verb *fazer* (to do) becomes *faça* in the present subjunctive, but *fizer* in the future subjunctive.

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### Fixed Third-Person Expressions

Many of these phrases act as fixed, standalone idioms in the third-person singular. You can attach them to the beginning or end of a sentence to show that your conviction is unshakable against adversity.

Common examples include:
- **custe o que custar**: whatever it costs / at all costs
- **aconteça o que acontecer**: whatever happens
- **venha o que vier**: whatever comes / come what may
- **doa a quem doer**: no matter who it hurts

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### Adapting to the Subject

While some expressions are fixed, this structure is entirely productive. This means you can use it with almost any verb, and you can conjugate it to match the specific person you are talking about—whether that is "they" (*eles/elas*) or an informal "you" (*tu*).

Just remember that **both** verbs in the phrase must be conjugated to match the subject!

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No matter what (custe o que custar)

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
the pinnacle	o auge
I have to reach the pinnacle, whatever it costs.	Tenho de alcançar o auge, custe o que custar.
the conviction	a convicção
unshakable	inabalável
Whatever he says, my conviction is unshakable.	Diga o que disser, a minha convicção é inabalável.
to succumb	sucumbir
the adversity	a adversidade
Whatever happens, we will not succumb to adversity.	Aconteça o que acontecer, não vamos sucumbir à adversidade.
relentless	implacável
I will be relentless, whatever it costs.	Vou ser implacável, custe o que custar.
the triumph	o triunfo
Whatever he does, he will not reach the triumph.	Faça o que fizer, ele não vai alcançar o triunfo.
He will not succumb, for his conviction is unshakable.	Ele não vai sucumbir, pois a sua convicção é inabalável.
He will reach the pinnacle, unless he gives up.	Ele vai alcançar o auge, a não ser que desista.
Perhaps he succumbs before reaching the pinnacle.	Talvez ele sucumba antes de chegar ao auge.
The enemy is relentless, for he wants the triumph.	O inimigo é implacável, pois quer o triunfo.
to intimidate	intimidar
the boldness	a ousadia
Do not let the enemy intimidate your boldness.	Não deixes o inimigo intimidar a tua ousadia.
the persistence	a persistência
Wherever you go, you will need persistence.	Vás onde fores, vais precisar de persistência.
No matter who it hurts, we will reach the triumph.	Doa a quem doer, vamos alcançar o triunfo.
Whatever comes, I have an unshakable conviction.	Venha o que vier, tenho uma convicção inabalável.
They try to intimidate me, but I will not succumb.	Eles tentam intimidar-me, mas não vou sucumbir.
Reaching the pinnacle requires overcoming adversity.	Alcançar o auge exige superar a adversidade.
Whatever they say, he is relentless.	Digam o que disserem, ele é implacável.
We have to overcome adversity, whoever comes.	Temos de superar a adversidade, venha quem vier.
Perhaps the obstacle intimidates the team.	Talvez o obstáculo intimide a equipa.
Whatever it costs, persistence and boldness are essential.	Custe o que custar, a persistência e a ousadia são essenciais.
I am going to buy the house, whatever it costs.	Vou comprar a casa, custe o que custar.
I win the championship, whoever comes.	Ganho o campeonato, venha quem vier.
Whatever they say, I do not give up.	Digam o que disserem, não desisto.
Whatever you do, I support you.	Faças o que fizeres, apoio-te.