Why “É importante que você faz” Is Wrong in Portuguese

Introduction

Many learners hear the sentence É importante que você faz and think it sounds logical, but in Portuguese this structure is ungrammatical. Understanding why requires learning about verb moods, subordinate clauses, and when to use the subjunctive. This article explains the rule step by step with clear examples in Brazilian Portuguese, helping you avoid a very common mistake.

Why the sentence is wrong: the mood mismatch

At the heart of the problem is a mismatch of verb moods. In Portuguese, certain impersonal expressions and verbs of emotion, will, doubt, necessity, or judgment demand the use of the subjunctive mood in the subordinate clause. The structure É importante que você faz uses the indicative verb faz in a clause that requires the subjunctive.

The correct form replaces the indicative with the present subjunctive of fazer, which is faça, giving É importante que você faça. That change signals doubt, necessity, or non-factuality — the very conditions that trigger the subjunctive.

What is the subjunctive mood?

The subjunctive mood (subjuntivo) is used to express desire, doubt, uncertainty, subjectivity, possibility, or commands in subordinate clauses. It contrasts with the indicative mood (indicativo), which states facts or describes reality. In English we sometimes use modal verbs or changes in phrasing, but Portuguese marks this difference clearly with verb forms.

Common triggers for the subjunctive include impersonal expressions like É importante que, verbs of wanting (querer), recommending (aconselhar), fearing (temer), and verbs expressing doubt or denial (duvidar, negar).

Common impersonal expressions that require the subjunctive

Impersonal expressions start with É + adjective and are followed by que to introduce a subordinate clause. When the adjective expresses necessity, importance, possibility, or judgment, the verb in the subordinate clause takes the subjunctive. Examples:

É importante que você faça a tarefa hoje.
É necessário que eles cheguem cedo.
É melhor que nós esperemos um pouco.

If the adjective expresses certainty or an objective fact, the indicative can be used, but these cases are less common with É + adjective. For example, É verdade que + indicative is typical: É verdade que ele veio ontem.

Why É importante que + indicative feels natural to learners

English speakers often translate directly from English structures like It is important that you do this. Because English uses the indicative in many such sentences, learners transfer that pattern into Portuguese, producing É importante que você faz. This is a classic interference error from L1.

Another reason is that the present indicative form looks simple and familiar. Faz is present indicative of fazer and is commonly used in everyday speech, so the incorrect sentence can sound plausible even to intermediate learners.

Conjugation review: present subjunctive of fazer

To form the present subjunctive for regular verbs, Portuguese often starts from the first person singular of the present indicative, drops the final o, and adds subjunctive endings. For irregular verbs like fazer, you need to learn the subjunctive conjugation directly.

Present subjunctive of fazer:

que eu faça
que você / ele / ela faça
que nós façamos
que vocês / eles / elas façam

So the correct sentence uses faça: É importante que você faça. Note the accent and the change in stem: faz- becomes faç- in the plural and the verb forms that need a c-cedilla to keep the s sound before an a.

Examples with different subjects and tenses

Here are more examples showing how the subjunctive appears after É importante que with various subjects and when referring to different time frames.

Present (general or immediate):
É importante que você faça a prova agora.

Future or possibility (present subjunctive often used for future actions):
É importante que eles venham amanhã.

Past reference: for past necessity or regret, Portuguese often uses the imperfect subjunctive:
Era importante que você fizesse a tarefa ontem.

Other verbs and expressions that trigger the subjunctive

Beyond É importante que, many verbs and expressions require the subjunctive. Learning these groups helps you recognize when to use the subjunctive automatically.

Common verbs: querer que, precisar que, pedir que, recomendar que, sugerir que, aconselhar que, permitir que (when denying permission use subjunctive), duvidar que.

Examples:

Eu quero que você venha amanhã.
Eles pedem que nós cheguemos cedo.
Eu duvido que ela saiba a resposta.

When not to use the subjunctive

The subjunctive is not used when the subordinate clause states a fact or certainty. In these cases, the indicative is appropriate. Look for verbs or expressions of certainty, clear statements of fact, or reported information where the speaker is not expressing doubt, desire, or necessity.

Examples where indicative is correct:

Sei que você faz exercícios todos os dias.
Ele disse que virá amanhã.

Note the difference: Sei que and Ele disse que report factual information, so the indicative is natural.

Subjunctive in spoken Brazilian Portuguese: formality and frequency

Brazilian Portuguese uses the subjunctive frequently in both spoken and written registers, but spoken language may show some simplifications. Native speakers still use subjunctive forms like faça and venham naturally, especially with impersonal expressions or verbs that clearly signal desire or necessity.

In informal speech you might hear periphrastic or alternative constructions to avoid subjunctive forms, but this is not a license to use the indicative after triggers. For clear, standard Portuguese — particularly in writing, formal speech, or when you want to sound correct — the subjunctive is required after expressions like É importante que.

Politeness and register: choosing pronouns and verbs

Portuguese offers different ways to address people, and verb choice can affect tone. Using você with the subjunctive is common in Brazil: É importante que você faça. In more formal contexts, especially in writing or in Portugal, one might use o senhor / a senhora with third-person conjugation: É importante que o senhor faça.

For groups, observe plural forms: É importante que vocês façam or É importante que eles façam. For inclusive or neutral phrasing, use nós: É importante que nós façamos a nossa parte.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

1. Using indicative after É + adjective: Many learners write É importante que + indicative. Fix: change to the present subjunctive when the adjective expresses necessity, importance, or similar meanings.

Wrong: É importante que você faz a tarefa.
Right: É importante que você faça a tarefa.

2. Forgetting irregular subjunctive stems: Verbs like fazer, estar, ter, ser have irregular subjunctive forms. Learn the forms: fazer → faça, estar → esteja, ter → tenha, ser → seja.

Wrong: É importante que ele é pontual.
Right: É importante que ele seja pontual.

3. Misreading the trigger: Some expressions look like triggers but can take indicative when the meaning is factual. Distinguish between statements of fact and expressions of opinion or necessity.

Factual: É verdade que ele mora aqui. → mora indicative.
Opinion/necessity: É importante que ele more mais perto? No — use subjunctive: É importante que ele more mais perto → more is irregular; actually use more? Correction: É importante que ele more mais perto is better expressed as É importante que ele more para mais perto, but the core point remains: necessity → subjunctive.

Quick reference: trigger list

Impersonal expressions: É importante que, É necessário que, É preciso que, É melhor que, É possível que.
Verbs: querer que, pedir que, sugerir que, recomendar que, temer que, desejar que, duvidar que.

Real-life examples and translations

Below are practical sentences you might hear in Brazil, with brief literal translations to show how the subjunctive maps to English meaning.

É importante que você faça uma revisão antes da prova.
Literal: It is important that you do a review before the test.

Espero que você esteja bem.
Literal: I hope that you are well.

É possível que eles cheguem atrasados por causa do trânsito.
Literal: It is possible that they arrive late because of traffic.

Quero que você saiba a verdade.
Literal: I want you to know the truth.

Tips for mastering the subjunctive

1. Memorize common triggers. When you hear or read É importante que, automatically expect the subjunctive.
2. Practice the irregular subjunctive forms: ser, estar, ter, fazer, ir, fazer, dar, ver. These appear often.
3. Read authentic Brazilian texts and listen to native speech to reinforce the patterns. Note where subjunctive forms appear naturally.
4. When in doubt, consider whether the subordinate clause expresses fact or desire/necessity. If it is not a simple fact, favor the subjunctive.

Conclusion

The sentence É importante que você faz is incorrect because the subordinate clause requires the subjunctive mood, not the indicative. Replace faz with the present subjunctive faça to get É importante que você faça. Learning the triggers, memorizing irregular subjunctive forms, and practicing with natural Brazilian Portuguese examples will help you use the subjunctive correctly and sound more fluent and natural.