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Expressing wants and orders: 'que' and the subjunctive

When you want someone else to do something in English, you usually use an infinitive phrase. You say things like "I want you to go" or "She asked us to wait". If you translate this word for word into Portuguese, you will run into a wall.

In Portuguese, when you express a desire, request, or order aimed at someone else, you generally cannot use a simple infinitive. Instead, you must use the conjunction que followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood. Verbs like querer, pedir, and esperar are classic words that call for this pattern, and mastering it is a major step toward sounding natural.

Word list
quererA1 to want quero que vás/vá deixarA2 to let deixou que entrassem desejarA2 to wish desejo que tenhas/tenha sorte esperarA2 to hope espero que venhas/venha permitirA2 to let permitiu que falassem preferirA2 to prefer prefiro que esperes/espere aceitarB1 to accept aceito que participem aconselharB1 to advise aconselho que fiques/fique esperarB1 to expect espero que chegue cedo impedirB1 to stop impediu que caíssem pedirB1 to ask for peço que ajudem proibirB1 to forbid proibiu que fumassem proporB1 to suggest sugiro que saiam recomendarB1 to recommend recomendo que leiam sugerirB1 to suggest sugiro que vás/vá desejarB2 to desire desejo que tudo corra bem implorarB2 to beg imploro que fiques/fique mandarB2 to command mandou que saíssem ordenarB2 to command ordenou que parassem solicitarB2 to ask for solicito que enviem suplicarC1 to beg suplico que perdoem prescreverC2 to prescribe a lei prescreve que sejam registados
The core formula

The structure is very consistent: you have your main subject and a verb of desire or request, followed by que, and then the second subject with a subjunctive verb. The subjunctive mood is required because you are expressing a wish or an attempt to influence reality, not stating a solid fact.

Eu quero que vocês venham amanhã.
(I want you to come tomorrow.)
A professora pede que nós esperemos na sala.
(The teacher asks us to wait in the room.)
Ele espera que o comboio chegue a horas.
(He hopes the train arrives on time.)
Nós preferimos que tu fales com ela.
(We prefer that you speak with her.)
Advice and suggestions

This rule applies equally when you are giving advice, making suggestions, or begging someone to act. Words like recomendar, sugerir, propor, and suplicar all call for the subjunctive when introducing a clause with a new subject. Note that the subjunctive tense must match the main verb: present requires present subjunctive, while past requires past subjunctive.

A médica recomendou que eu descansasse.
(The doctor recommended that I rest.)
Eles sugerem que compremos os bilhetes cedo.
(They suggest that we buy the tickets early.)
O advogado aconselha que não assinem nada.
(The lawyer advises that you do not sign anything.)
Eu imploro que me ajudem.
(I beg you to help me.)
Orders, permission, and the infinitive option

Verbs that deal with ordering, allowing, or stopping someone from doing something also use the que and subjunctive structure. This includes words like mandar, ordenar, deixar, permitir, proibir, and impedir.

O chefe mandou que saíssemos.
(The boss ordered us to leave.)
A mãe não deixou que eles comessem doces.
(The mother did not let them eat sweets.)
O guarda proibiu que tirássemos fotografias.
(The guard forbade us from taking photographs.)

However, there is a catch. Unlike querer and esperar, which strongly demand a que clause for a different subject, verbs of ordering and permission actually give you a choice. They can take the que plus subjunctive pattern, but they also allow an infinitive construction that looks a lot like English. For example, you can say deixou que entrassem (let that they enter) or simply deixou-os entrar (let them enter). Both are correct, but if you choose to use the que clause, the subjunctive is mandatory.

Summary

When you use a verb of desire, request, or suggestion to influence someone else's actions, and you introduce their action with que, the following verb must be in the subjunctive mood. Remember: "I want that you go", never "I want you to go".