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P o r t u g u e s e O n l i n e

>>Verbs > Imperfect Subjunctive

The subjunctive mood is harder for an English speaker to use than the indicative mood. (also see the sections on the indicative mood and the imperative mood in verbs). In Portuguese, the subjunctive mood often follows the word que that. Please be careful, because the opposite is not true - the word que does not always come before a subjunctive verb. In the English phrase if I were, the verb were is in the imperfect subjunctive.

The tense refers to the time period of a verb. The imperfect tense is used to show that the verb represents an ongoing action in the past.

To form the imperfect subjunctive, you will take the infinitive without its -ar, -er, or -ir ending (its "stem") and add the following endings. See the section on subject pronouns for more information on the pronouns listed in the left column.

In Portuguese, you will use the imperfect subjunctive to express actions that are not stated facts or certainties. Unlike the action of an indicative verb that is taking place, subjunctive actions may or may not occur. Since imperfect actions take place in the past, we will often use this form of the subjunctive to mark that things could have happened differently in the past.

The imperfect subjunctive is extremely common after the word se, meaning if. It is often found in hypothetical constructions where it is coupled with the conditional (a would phrase). Here are some examples:

Se ele falasse português partiria amanhã if he spoke Portuguese, he would leave tomorrow.
Se vendêssemos livros vocês os comprariam if we sold books, all of you would buy them. (literally you them would-buy)
Se eu fosse... if I were...

Because they are very often found after se, Portuguese imperfect subjunctive verbs are sometimes cited as se falasse, se vendesse, se partisse, etc.

An appropriate indicative verb followed by que will also cue the subjunctive mood. Any indicative verb suggesting that an action may or may not occur should be an automatic suspect for you. A good example is the verb hope in the sentence I hope that he's coming, where the phrase hope that clearly instigates an uncertainty (however much I hope, he may or may not arrive, so his arrival is in the subjunctive).

Keep in mind that, since the imperfect subjunctive refers to the past, only a verb in the preterit or imperfect indicative before the que will set off the imperfect subjunctive. This construction is much less common than the present indicative + que + present subjunctive. Read more on this topic in the section on the present subjunctive, where you meet several categories of verbs and phrases that "set off" the subjunctive mood.

Please take the time to read through the examples below, since seeing the subjunctive in context will help you to grasp these concepts much better.

Esperava que eles vendessem... I was hoping that they sold  (but this was only my hope; they may or may not have sold). In this sentence, esperar to hope is in the imperfect indicative and vender to sell in the imperfect subjunctive.

Não acreditava que ela partisse I didn't believe that she was leaving (I'm casting doubt to show that she might or might not have left). In this sentence, (não) acreditar (not) to believe is in the imperfect indicative and partir to leave in the imperfect subjunctive.

Ela pediu ao senhor que vendesse... she asked the man to sell  (but the Portuguese sentence actually reads she asked to the man that he sold; he may or may not have sold, no matter what she asked of him). In this sentence, pedir to ask for, to order is in the preterit and vender to sell in the imperfect subjunctive.

Estava triste que ela partisse I was sad that she was leaving (whether or not she was leaving is a separate matter). In this sentence, (não) estar to be is in the imperfect indicative and partir to leave in the imperfect subjunctive.

Keep in mind that, unlike in English, it is not necessary to use a subject pronoun or a noun with the verb. Se falasse and se eu falasse both mean if I spoke. You may choose to use them when clarifying (se ela falasse if she spoke, when she is not already obvious from context) or emphasizing (se eles falassem if THEY spoke). This is especially useful when distinguishing between eu, ele, ela, and você, since they always share the same form in the imperfect subjunctive.