Question 1

Why do we use the subjunctive esteja here instead of the normal present tense está?

Accepted Answer

The phrase por muito que (meaning 'no matter how' or 'however much') introduces a concessive clause — a statement that contrasts with the main action but doesn't stop it from happening. In Portuguese, these expressions require the subjunctive mood. So, we use esteja (present subjunctive) instead of está (present indicative).

Question 2

Could I use por mais que instead of por muito que in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Por mais que and por muito que mean the exact same thing in this context and are completely interchangeable. You can say por mais que a água esteja fria and it will still mean 'no matter how cold the water is'.

Question 3

In English we say 'how cold' together. Why aren't the words for 'how' and 'cold' grouped together in Portuguese?

Accepted Answer

English groups the degree and the adjective together, but Portuguese structures this differently. Literally, this translates closer to 'by much that the water is cold'. Because of this, the adjective fria (which is feminine to agree with a água) stays in its normal position after the verb esteja.

Question 4

I remember that gostar needs the preposition de. Does adorar need a preposition before surfar?

Accepted Answer

No, adorar (to love/adore) connects directly to the infinitive verb surfar without any preposition. This is a common trip-up because the similar verb gostar (to like) always requires the preposition de, as in gostamos de surfar. With adorar and odiar (to hate), you just drop the preposition!

Nós adoramos surfar, por muito que a água esteja fria.

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