Breakdown of Queremos um candidato ideal que tenha um bom currículo.
ter
to have
um
a / an / some (all forms)
bom
good
querer
to want
que
who / which / that (relative)
o candidato
the candidate
ideal
ideal
o currículo
the resume
Questions & Answers about Queremos um candidato ideal que tenha um bom currículo.
Why do we use the subjunctive tenha instead of the indicative tem here?
This is the core of using the subjunctive for unknown or hypothetical things (indefinite antecedents). Because we are looking for a candidate (um candidato) fitting this description, we do not know if this perfect person actually exists yet. The subjunctive tenha shows that having a good resume is a requirement we want this hypothetical person to meet, rather than a stated fact about someone we already know.
If we were talking about a specific person we already know, how would the sentence change?
If you already had a specific candidate in mind, you would use the definite article o and the indicative verb tem. For example: Queremos o candidato ideal que tem um bom currículo (We want the [specific] ideal candidate who has a good resume).
Why is the adjective placed before the noun in bom currículo?
In Portuguese, adjectives generally come after the noun. However, a few common, subjective adjectives like bom (good) and mau (bad) are frequently placed before the noun. Saying um currículo bom is also grammatically correct, but um bom currículo flows very naturally and is extremely common in professional contexts.
I see currículo. Does this mean 'curriculum' like in a school, or 'resume'?
It means both! Currículo is the standard Portuguese word for a job resume (often short for Curriculum Vitae or CV). It can also refer to an educational curriculum, just like in English, so you have to rely on the context to tell them apart.
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