Breakdown of O médico sugere que eu ignore o sintoma enquanto trabalho.
eu
I
o médico
the doctor (m)
trabalhar
to work
que
that (conjunction)
enquanto
while
sugerir
to suggest
ignorar
to ignore
o sintoma
the symptom
Questions & Answers about O médico sugere que eu ignore o sintoma enquanto trabalho.
Why do we use the subjunctive form ignore in this sentence?
The verb sugerir (to suggest) in the main clause shows that someone is trying to influence another person's actions. Verbs of suggestion or recommendation followed by que require the verb in the connected clause to be in the subjunctive mood. Since sugere is in the present tense, we use the present subjunctive ignore.
If we changed the sentence to say the doctor suggested it in the past, how would the verb ignorar change?
Why is trabalho in the indicative mood and not the subjunctive?
The conjunction enquanto (while) only triggers the subjunctive when referring to a future or hypothetical situation. Because this sentence describes a factual, habitual action happening in the present (working while ignoring the symptom), trabalho stays in the present indicative.
Could I use the infinitive here and say O médico sugere ignorar instead?
Yes, you can use the impersonal infinitive if you drop the que eu structure. Saying O médico sugere ignorar o sintoma (The doctor suggests ignoring the symptom) is perfectly natural, but it makes the advice general rather than directed specifically at you.
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