Breakdown of Precisas de outra camada de tinta até que o tom seja o que queres.
ser
to be
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
o que
what
querer
to want
precisar de
to need
outro
other
até que
until
a tinta
the paint
a camada
the layer
o tom
the shade
Questions & Answers about Precisas de outra camada de tinta até que o tom seja o que queres.
Why is seja used instead of é after até que?
The phrase até que means 'until' and introduces a temporal limit. Because the desired shade hasn't been achieved yet, it is a hypothetical future outcome. In Portuguese, this requires the subjunctive mood, so we use seja (the present subjunctive of the verb ser) instead of the normal present tense é.
Why is queres in the normal present tense and not also in the subjunctive?
The subjunctive is only triggered for the action directly following até que (the shade being right). The phrase o que queres (what you want) is a stated fact right now in the present. You already know what you want, so it stays in the normal present indicative.
Why does the sentence use Precisas de instead of just Precisas?
The verb precisar (to need) requires the preposition de when it is followed by a noun. Since you need another layer (outra camada), you must link them with de.
Why isn't there a word for 'a' or 'an' before outra?
In English, we say 'another', which is a combination of 'an' and 'other'. In Portuguese, the words outro and outra already mean 'another' all by themselves. Adding uma before outra is redundant and usually sounds unnatural.
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