How to Say ‘As Soon As’ in Portuguese: Assim Que
Assim que means ‘as soon as’; use the future subjunctive for an uncertain future event in Brazilian Portuguese.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 15, 2026
The short answer
Assim que means ‘as soon as’ and links one action to another. It can refer to the past, present, or future; the verb forms depend on when the events happen.
Use assim que to connect two events
Assim que cheguei, mandei uma mensagem.
As soon as I arrived, I sent a message.
Me liga assim que puder.
Call me as soon as you can.
Use the future subjunctive for a future event
When the event has not happened yet, Brazilian Portuguese commonly uses the future subjunctive after assim que. Regular verbs such as chegar and terminar use forms like chegar and terminar for você or ele/ela.
Assim que você chegar, me avisa.
As soon as you arrive, let me know.
Vamos sair assim que a reunião terminar.
We’ll leave as soon as the meeting ends.
Place the time phrase where it is clearest
Assim que can come at the beginning or later in a sentence. A comma is often used when the time clause comes first, especially in writing.
Assim que o ônibus chegar, a gente embarca.
As soon as the bus arrives, we’ll get on.
Vou te mandar o endereço assim que confirmar.
I’ll send you the address as soon as I confirm.
Put it into practice
Use assim que for ‘as soon as’ and the future subjunctive when the next event is still in the future.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “As soon as I arrived, I sent a message”?
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