Word
Ele vai alcançar o auge, a não ser que desista.
Meaning
He will reach the pinnacle, unless he gives up.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Ele vai alcançar o auge, a não ser que desista.
ele
he
ir
to go
alcançar
to achieve
desistir
to give up
Questions & Answers about Ele vai alcançar o auge, a não ser que desista.
Why is desista in the subjunctive here?
The phrase a não ser que (unless) always triggers the subjunctive. It introduces a condition or exception to the main clause, presenting it as a hypothetical scenario rather than a guaranteed fact, which requires the subjunctive mood.
Since the first half is about the future (vai alcançar), shouldn't we use the future subjunctive here?
It is a logical guess, but no! The expression a não ser que strictly takes the present subjunctive (or imperfect subjunctive for past contexts), even when talking about the future. However, if you rephrased this using se (if), you would use the future subjunctive: ...se ele não desistir (if he doesn't give up).
What exactly does o auge mean and how is it used?
O auge translates to "the pinnacle", "the peak", or "the height". While it can refer to a physical peak, it is most often used abstractly, such as the peak of someone's career (o auge da carreira) or the height of an event or crisis (no auge da crise).
How does a não ser que compare to the reduplicative phrases we are learning, like custe o que custar?