é necessário que + Subjunctive

Subjuntivo Com Necessidade

Level 3

The expression é necessário que is an impersonal way to state that something must happen. Because it expresses a requirement rather than a factual event, it always triggers the subjunctive mood in the following clause.

How It Works

In Portuguese, when you want to express necessity using the phrase 'It is necessary that...', you must use the subjunctive mood. This is because the subjunctive is triggered by the modality of necessity—the speaker is expressing a requirement or a desired outcome rather than a factual statement.

1. Structure:
The phrase consists of: É necessário (or the common synonym É preciso) + que + Subject + Subjunctive Verb.

2. Common Synonyms:
While é necessário que is standard, é preciso que is extremely common, especially in Brazilian Portuguese, and functions in exactly the same way.

3. Impersonal Nature:
The word necessário (or preciso) remains in the masculine singular form regardless of who the subject is. This is because the 'subject' of the sentence is actually the entire clause that follows it.

4. Subjunctive Trigger:
Unlike expressions of certainty (e.g., 'É verdade que...'), which use the indicative, expressions of necessity imply a requirement. Therefore, you must use the Subjunctive.

5. The Infinitive Alternative:
When the subject is general, implied, or the same as the speaker, you can simplify the sentence by using the infinitive instead of a 'que' clause. For example: É necessário fazer o dever (It is necessary to do the homework) instead of É necessário que você faça o dever.

Examples (4)

  1. É necessário que você faça o dever de casa.

    It is necessary that you do your homework.

    Word by Word: Is necessary that you do (subj.) the duty of house.

    The verb 'fazer' changes to 'faça' because it follows the trigger 'é necessário que'.

  2. É necessário que nós cheguemos cedo amanhã.

    It is necessary that we arrive early tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Is necessary that we arrive (subj.) early tomorrow.

    Even with 'nós', the subjunctive form 'cheguemos' is required to show necessity.

  3. Para a empresa crescer, é necessário que eles trabalhem muito.

    For the company to grow, it is necessary that they work a lot.

    Word by Word: For the company to grow, is necessary that they work (subj.) much.

    The subjunctive 'trabalhem' is used here to express a requirement for the company's success.

  4. Era necessário que ela estivesse aqui ontem.

    It was necessary that she be here yesterday.

    Word by Word: Was necessary that she be (subj. imp.) here yesterday.

    When the necessity is in the past (Era), we use the Imperfect Subjunctive (estivesse).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Indicative mood instead of the Subjunctive.

    É necessário que você vai ao médico.
    É necessário que você vá ao médico.

    Learners often use the standard present tense (vai), but 'é necessário que' is a mandatory trigger for the subjunctive (vá).

  • Translating the English 'for you to' structure literally.

    É necessário para você fazer isso.
    É necessário que você faça isso.

    English uses 'for [person] to [verb]', but Portuguese requires 'que [person] [subjunctive verb]'.

  • Changing 'necessário' to 'necessária' for feminine subjects.

    É necessária que ela estude.
    É necessário que ela estude.

    In this impersonal construction, 'necessário' is always masculine singular because it refers to the action, not the person.

How It Connects

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é necessário que + SubjunctiveLevel 3Subjuntivo Com Necessidade

Learn This First

To use 'é necessário que + subjuntivo', you first need to understand the present tense of the verb 'ser' for the impersonal head of the sentence. You also need to be familiar with the present subjunctive conjugation, as this specific impersonal expression of necessity triggers that mood in the following clause.

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