Breakdown of Quando fores à estância e que voltes a esquiar, vais divertir-te.
e
and
a
to / at (direction)
quando
when
ir
to go
Questions & Answers about Quando fores à estância e que voltes a esquiar, vais divertir-te.
Why is there a que after e?
This is the vicarious que (o que vicário). Instead of repeating the subordinating conjunction quando ('and when you ski again'), Portuguese uses que to avoid repetition. It links the second action to the original quando without saying it twice.
Why is voltes in the present subjunctive, since fores is in the future subjunctive?
This is a very specific, tricky rule for the vicarious que. When que replaces a conjunction that normally triggers the future subjunctive (like quando or se), the verb that follows the que must shift to the present subjunctive. That is why we see quando fores (future subjunctive) but que voltes (present subjunctive).
How does voltes a esquiar translate to 'ski again'?
The structure voltar a followed by an infinitive verb (like esquiar) is the most natural way to express doing an action again in Portuguese. While you could add adverbs like de novo or novamente instead, mastering voltar a is essential for sounding fluent at a B2 level.
What are my options for placing the pronoun te in vais divertir-te?