Breakdown of Sugerimos que canceles a cirurgia.
que
that (conjunction)
sugerir
to suggest
cancelar
to cancel
a cirurgia
the surgery
Questions & Answers about Sugerimos que canceles a cirurgia.
Why is canceles in the subjunctive mood?
The verb sugerir (to suggest) expresses an attempt to influence someone's actions. Like other verbs of recommendation, requesting, or ordering, it triggers the subjunctive in the following clause. Since the main verb is in the present tense, we use the present subjunctive canceles.
Sugerimos can be present or past tense. How do we know which one it is here?
We know it is present tense because of the second verb. The spelling sugerimos is identical for both the present and the simple past. However, if it were the past tense ('We suggested'), the sequence of tenses would require the imperfect subjunctive in the second clause: Sugerimos que cancelasses a cirurgia. Since we see the present subjunctive canceles, the main verb must be present tense.
If this is reported speech, what might the original direct quote have been?
Verbs of suggestion are often used to report commands or advice. The original direct speech might have been an imperative, such as 'Cancela a cirurgia!' (Cancel the surgery!). When reporting this advice indirectly with sugerir, the command turns into a que clause and the verb shifts to the subjunctive.
How would this sentence change if we were making the suggestion to someone we address formally?