Breakdown of Talvez ele sucumba antes de chegar ao auge.
ele
he
a
to / at (direction)
chegar
to arrive
antes de
before
Questions & Answers about Talvez ele sucumba antes de chegar ao auge.
Why is the verb sucumba in the subjunctive here?
The word talvez (perhaps/maybe) expresses doubt or uncertainty. In Portuguese, talvez almost always forces the following verb into the subjunctive mood, which in this case is the present subjunctive sucumba (from the verb sucumbir).
Why does the sentence use antes de chegar (infinitive) instead of antes que chegue (subjunctive)?
Both are grammatically correct and mean the same thing. However, when the subject of both actions is the same (he succumbs, he reaches), Portuguese generally prefers using a preposition plus the infinitive (antes de chegar) because it is more direct and concise. You would be forced to use antes que plus the subjunctive if the subjects were different.
Is sucumbir a regular verb in the subjunctive?
Yes, sucumbir is a completely regular -ir verb. To form the present subjunctive, you take the first-person present indicative (eu sucumbo), drop the -o, and add the opposite vowel endings. For an -ir verb, the third-person singular ending is -a, giving us ele sucumba.
What exactly does auge mean, and why is it ao auge?