Breakdown of Procuro um tradutor que fale inglês.
inglês
English
um
a / an / some (all forms)
falar
to speak
procurar
to look for / to seek to, to try to
que
who / which / that (relative)
o tradutor
the translator
Questions & Answers about Procuro um tradutor que fale inglês.
Why does this sentence use the subjunctive fale instead of the indicative fala?
This is the core of your current lesson! You use the subjunctive in a relative clause (the part starting with que) when you are talking about someone or something indefinite, uncertain, or non-existent. Because you are looking for any translator (um tradutor) and don't know who they are or if they even exist yet, you must use the subjunctive fale.
What happens if I change um tradutor to o tradutor (the translator)?
If you change it to o tradutor, you are now talking about a specific, known person (a definite antecedent). Because you know this person exists, the verb in the que clause must switch back to the normal present tense (indicative). The sentence would become: Procuro o tradutor que fala inglês.
Why is there no preposition after Procuro? Shouldn't it be "Procuro por"?
Why is inglês written with a lowercase "i"?
In Portuguese, the names of languages and nationalities (as well as days of the week and months) are not capitalized unless they appear at the very beginning of a sentence.
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