detestes

Detestes is a Portuguese verb form, specifically the second-person singular present subjunctive of the verb detestar, which means to detest or hate. As a subjunctive form, it appears in clauses that express doubt, desire, emotion, possibility, or hypothetical conditions, often introduced by conjunctions such as que.

Detestar is a regular -ar verb, and its present subjunctive paradigm typically follows the standard endings for this mood in Portuguese. The full present subjunctive forms are: eu deteste, tu detestes, ele/ela deteste, nós detestemos, vós detestedes, eles detestem. In modern usage, many Brazilian speakers use the corresponding form with the pronoun você (que você deteste), while European Portuguese often preserves the tu form detestes in appropriate contexts. The form detestes is therefore most associated with the tu-subject in formal or literary contexts, whereas deteste with você is common in everyday Brazilian speech, and deteste is also seen in some formal European variants.

Usage notes: detestes is encountered mainly in written language, poetry, or formal speech where the subjunctive mood is required. It can appear in subordinate clauses expressing a wish, doubt, or emotion, for example: “Espero que tu detestes esse prato.” Understanding the form also benefits from recognizing its relationship to the infinitive detestar and the broader Portuguese subjunctive system.

See also: detestar, Portuguese verb conjugation, subjunctive mood.