Breakdown of Eu receio que o ciúme destrua a nossa relação.
eu
I
nosso
our (m/f/pl: nosso, nossa, nossos, nossas)
que
that (conjunction)
destruir
to destroy
Questions & Answers about Eu receio que o ciúme destrua a nossa relação.
Why is destrua in the subjunctive here instead of the normal present tense?
The phrase receio que comes from the verb recear (to fear). Because it expresses a strong emotion or feeling, it triggers the subjunctive in the following clause. You are expressing a fear about a potential reality, rather than stating a concrete fact.
How do we get the subjunctive form destrua from the verb destruir?
Like most verbs, the present subjunctive is built from the "I" form of the normal present tense. The present tense of destruir is eu destruo. By dropping the -o and adding the opposite ending for an -ir verb (which is -a), we get the present subjunctive form destrua.
Why do we say o ciúme when the English translation is just "jealousy"?
In Portuguese, you generally use definite articles (o, a, os, as) before abstract nouns when talking about them as a general concept. So ideas like "jealousy" (o ciúme), "love" (o amor), or "patience" (a paciência) require their matching article.
Just as a refresher, why is there an a before nossa relação?