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I've noticed that that while in Spanish it's become standard to use the present subjunctive in the cases such as

cuando esté en Africa te lo haré saber

, in Portuguese the future subjunctive one would be used instead:

quando eu estiver na África...

and never the present form.

Is this correct?

Is not, or even if so, when would the present form be used then?

quando eu esteja na África...
Kum
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  • It is a feature of quando. See this Q&A https://portuguese.stackexchange.com/questions/4345/can-present-subjunctive-be-used-to-indicate-near-future?rq=1 for much more detail. – mdewey Oct 28 '22 at 14:48
  • Yes, quando clauses take future subjunctive in Portuguese. – Lambie Nov 01 '22 at 15:43

2 Answers2

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This issue and similar ones have been discussed at length in this Q&A Can present subjunctive be used to indicate near future?

To summarise the issue in the current question quando always uses the future subjunctive not the present subjunctive. It is just a grammatical rule which you have to learn. Note though that if it is a timeless use (when I am in Africa I eat the local food) the indicative is used.

mdewey
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Yes, the future subjunctive is used with "quando", because it refers to an event in the future. This tense is something quite remarkable to have when it comes to Romance languages!The present subjunctive, however, is used when there is no certainty and it is currently happening.

For instance:

"Que ele esteja certo!" (May he be right).

Ergative Man
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