Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Quero que o negócio seja um sucesso.

Quero que o negócio seja um sucesso.

I want the business to be a success.

Breakdown of Quero que o negócio seja um sucesso.

ser

to be

a / an / some (all forms)

Questions & Answers about Quero que o negócio seja um sucesso.

Why does the Portuguese sentence use que o negócio seja instead of an infinitive like "to be"?

In English, we say "I want [something] to be...". However, in Portuguese, when the person wanting the action is different from the subject performing it (I want vs. the business is), you cannot use the infinitive. Instead, you must use que (that) followed by the subjunctive mood. You are literally saying "I want that the business be a success."

What verb is seja from, and why does it look so different?

Seja is the present subjunctive form of the verb ser (to be) for ele/ela/você (which includes o negócio). Because ser is a core irregular verb, its subjunctive forms (seja, sejas, sejamos, sejam) don't follow the normal rules of just swapping the ending vowels. You simply have to memorize them!

Why do we use the subjunctive of ser (seja) here instead of estar (esteja)?

We use ser because we are defining what the business is by linking it directly to a noun (um sucesso). Estar is used for temporary states, feelings, or locations. Whenever you are equating a subject to a noun (Business = Success), you almost always use ser.

Does negócio only refer to a business or company?