Breakdown of Onde houver desprezo ou indiferença para com a família, não haverá paz.
não
not / no
haver
to be (there is / there are)
onde
where
a família
the family
ou
or
a paz
the peace
para com
towards (feelings, attitude)
o desprezo
the contempt
a indiferença
the indifference
Questions & Answers about Onde houver desprezo ou indiferença para com a família, não haverá paz.
Why do we use para com here instead of just para to mean 'towards'?
In Portuguese, para com is a special compound preposition used specifically for abstract relationships, attitudes, or feelings directed at someone or something. Since we are talking about feelings of contempt (desprezo) and indifference (indiferença) directed at the family, para com is the perfect fit. If you used just para, it would sound incomplete or more like a physical destination.
Could I use para com if I were physically walking 'towards' the family?
Why is the verb haver conjugated as houver in the first clause?
This is the future subjunctive. Here, Onde acts as an indefinite relative pronoun meaning 'wherever.' Because the speaker is setting up a hypothetical, unknown future condition (wherever there might be contempt), the future subjunctive houver is required instead of the present indicative há.
Why does the second half of the sentence switch to the future indicative (haverá)?
The first clause (Onde houver...) sets up a hypothetical condition, which requires the subjunctive. The second clause (não haverá paz) is the main clause stating the guaranteed result of that condition. When stating a definite outcome in the future, you use the future indicative.
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