Conjuntivo or subjunctive in I hope that

Portuguese Questions Verbs
1

in my smart review I found the phrase “Esperemos que gostem” ( translated to “We hope you pl. like it!” ) in which both verbs are in the subjunctive. In the learning note I read that Esperar is usually in the indicative mode:

The presente do conjuntivo is used in most other cases. It’s for talking about something that may or may not happen (in the present or future), but that is within the realm of possibility. The other verb in the sentence tends to be in the presente do indicativo along with the word que such as with clauses beginning with:

  • Espero que…I hope that…

Is it simply OK either way or is there a rule when Esperar should be in the conjuntivo instead?

Edit: I found Deepl translates it as “Let’s hope they like it” which sounds more “subjunctive” to me.

2

Good question. In this sentence esperemos is not in subjunctive mode, but in imperative.

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3

I think you’re right about that, the translation “Let’s …” is what I’ve seen before for imperative mode.

4

@chris.mcnally, yes, in Esperemos que gostem, esperemos is a present subjunctive form with an imperative undertone. From a 1st-person plural perspective, it’s common for us to use both esperemos and esperamos in this context, and both are valid and express the same general idea, with esperamos sounding more concrete, and esperemos perhaps more emphatic regarding the speaker’s expectations. For other grammatical persons, the indicative mood is the standard.