Expressing "Ever Since" (Desde que)
The phrase desde que is a temporal conjunction. When you use it to mean "ever since" a specific event occurred, you simply follow it with the indicative mood—usually the simple past tense (pretérito perfeito).
Because desde que connects a past event to an ongoing situation, the main part of your sentence is typically in the present tense. We will use this structure to describe the new realities of living completely off the grid.
| Ever since my friend sold the house, he lives in the cabin. | Desde que o meu amigo vendeu a casa, mora na cabana. |
| Ever since we arrived, we cultivate the land and use the well. | Desde que chegámos, cultivamos a terra e usamos o poço. |
Sentence Order
Just like in English, you can place the desde que clause at the beginning of the sentence or in the middle.
When it starts the sentence, separate the two clauses with a comma. When desde que sits in the middle, no comma is needed.
| Firewood is our only fuel ever since we moved to the mountain. | A lenha é o nosso único combustível desde que nos mudámos para a montanha. |
| We are self-sufficient ever since we created the vegetable garden. | Somos autossuficientes desde que criámos a horta. |
Major Lifestyle Changes
This combination of past and present is perfect for contrasting your old life with your new self-sufficient (autossuficiente) reality.
| Ever since we bought the solar panel, we do not have that dependence. | Desde que comprámos o painel solar, não temos essa dependência. |
| Ever since we realized the problem, we need a lot of time to purify the water. | Desde que percebemos o problema, precisamos de bastante tempo para purificar a água. |
| My aunt cultivates very few potatoes ever since she moved to the cabin. | A minha tia cultiva muito poucas batatas desde que se mudou para a cabana. |