Quero Que Você Faça: The Portuguese Subjunctive After ‘Want’
When one person wants or hopes that someone else do something, Portuguese commonly uses que plus the present subjunctive.
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
A common subjunctive pattern appears when a person expresses a wish, preference, recommendation, or hope about someone else’s action: quero que você faça (I want you to do it). The word que connects the two clauses, and the verb after it changes form.
Use que when the second clause has its own subject
Compare quero estudar (I want to study) with quero que você estude (I want you to study). When the same person does both actions, the infinitive is natural. When the subject changes, que + a conjugated verb makes that relationship explicit.
Quero praticar depois do trabalho.
I want to practice after work.
Quero que você pratique comigo.
I want you to practice with me.
Espero que ela chegue cedo.
I hope she arrives early.
Learn a few high-use subjunctive forms
Regular verbs often form the present subjunctive from the first-person present-tense base. For falar, the forms include fale, fales, falemos, and falem; for comer, common forms include coma and comam. Brazilian speakers use você with third-person verb forms, so quero que você fale is a useful everyday pattern.
Several common verbs have forms worth recognizing: seja from ser, esteja from estar, tenha from ter, and vá from ir. You do not need to memorize every table before speaking. Start with a phrase frame and replace the subject or verb as your needs grow.
Prefiro que a gente vá mais cedo.
I’d prefer that we go earlier.
É importante que você esteja preparado.
It’s important that you be prepared.
Espero que eles tenham tempo.
I hope they have time.
Put it into practice
When the wish or recommendation concerns another subject, try que + present subjunctive: quero que você faça, espero que ela venha, prefiro que a gente vá.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “I want you to practice with me”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
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