In Brazilian Portuguese, the past perfect subjunctive, also known as pluperfect subjunctive, formed by combining an imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary ter meaning to have with the past participle of the main verb. We use this tense, like other subjunctive tenses, primarily in clauses introduced by words and phrases that express wishes, emotions, or doubt.
The past perfect subjunctive is used, in particular, to talk about a past action occurred before to another past action (as above) or in clauses discussing a hypothetical past, as in:
Are you curious to know more about this verb tense? Let’s start!
How to form the past perfect subjunctive?
The past perfect subjunctive is formed by combining the auxiliary ter meaning to have in the imperfect subjunctive tense with the past participle of a main verb. Because it is a combination of an auxiliary and a main verb, this is a “compound verb tense.”
ter meaning to have
imperfect subjunctive
past participle
Take a look at the table below for the full conjugations:
| Subject pronouns | ter meaning to have Imperfect subjunctive | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
eu meaning I | tivesse |
|
tu meaning you | tivesses | |
| tivesse | |
nós meaning we | tivéssemos | |
vós* meaning you, formal | tivésseis | |
| tivessem |
Here are some important notes about building the past perfect subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese:
In Brazilian Portuguese, the past participle of a regular verb will end either in -ado (for -ar verbs) or -ido (for -er or -ir verbs), but irregular past participles may have a different form:
past participleSe eu tivesse falado com a Manuela, ela teria feito o bolo.Translation: If I had spoken to Manuela, she would have made the cake.falar meaning to speak is a regular verb ⇒ falado meaning spokenSe ele tivesse aberto supermercado mais cedo, teria vendido mais.Translation: If he had opened the supermarket earlier, he would have sold more.abrir meaning to open is an irregular verb ⇒ aberto meaning openedCheck out our post on past participles in Brazilian Portuguese to learn more about how to create this form of the verb.
The verb haver meaning to have can sometimes be used instead of ter in the past perfect subjunctive. In this case, haver is also conjugated in the imperfect subjunctive.
auxiliary verbpast participleSe o Paulo houvesse visto o noticiário, saberia o que tinha acontecido no Brasil.Translation: If Paulo had seen the news, he would know what happened in Brazil.However, haver is a very formal auxiliary and rarely used in everyday language. In informal Brazilian Portuguese, the auxiliary ter meaning to have is mostly used.
Now that you know how to form the past perfect subjunctive, let’s see when to use it.
When to use the past perfect subjunctive?
In Brazilian Portuguese, the past perfect subjunctive is mostly used in the subordinate clause of in places where, in English, you would say “might have verbed,” “would have verbed,” or “had verbed” in English. For example:
Specifically, the past perfect subjunctive is used to speculate or make assumptions about a past event or situation that took place or existed before (or sometimes at about same time as) another past moment, as in the example below:
I saw the movie
(past perfect subjuctive)
I thought about it
(past indicative)
moment of speech
Like other uses of the subjunctive mood in Brazilian Portuguese, there are certain constructions that commonly “trigger” the use of the subjunctive mood. Let’s talk about exactly what expressions tend to trigger the use of the past perfect subjunctive in particular and compare this subjunctive tense with others.
Use the past perfect subjunctive after some W.E.I.R.D expressions
The past perfect subjunctive can be used words and phrases that express wishes, emotions, or doubt/denial — three of the W.E.I.R.D expressions that trigger the present subjunctive:
| W | wishes | Esperávamos que eles tivessem chegado bem. Translation: We hoped they had arrived well. |
|---|---|---|
| E | emotions | Fiquei surpresa que eles tivessem ganhado o campeonato. Translation: I was surprised that they had won the championship. |
| D | doubt or denial | Eu duvidei que ela tivesse feito o jantar. Translation: I doubted that she had made the dinner. |
The verbs expressing the wish/emotion/doubt in the examples above are all conjugated in a past tense, either the preterite or the imperfect:
esperávamos meaning we hoped
fiquei meaning I got
duvidei meaning I doubted
That is because the past perfect subjunctive is always used to talk about hypotheses and assumptions someone had at a past moment, as mentioned earlier.
The full set of W.E.I.R.D. expressions we saw for the present subjunctive also includes expressions from two other groups:
Wishes
Emotions
Impersonal expressions ←
Requests or orders ←
Demands/denials
However, these two types of expressions do not generally trigger the past perfect subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese, even when they’re used in the past tense. Let’s look at what you should do instead.
Can you use the past perfect subjunctive after impersonal expressions?
When using an impersonal expressions in the past tense, like foi/era bom meaning it was good, foi/era difícil meaning it was difficult, or foi/era possível meaning it was possible, you can use the past perfect subjunctive:
However, Brazilians prefer to use the simple infinitive or personal infinitive, as these verb forms are a bit clearer.
✅ Era necessário terminarem tudo antes do anoitecer.
Can you use the past perfect subjunctive in requests/orders?
When verbs for requests or orders are conjugated in the preterite or imperfect tense, they are usually not paired with the past perfect subjunctive, but are instead paired with the imperfect subjunctive.
Use the past perfect subjunctive for a condition that wasn’t met
The past perfect subjunctive in the “if clause” of an if-then statement in circumstances where the condition was not met. For example:
- Se tivéssemos conversado, saberia mais sobre seus planos.Translation: If we had talked, I would know more about your plans.We did not talk.
- Se você tivesse vindo, teria encontrado o Joaquim.Translation: If you had come, you would have seen Joaquim.You did not come.
When you use the past perfect subjunctive this way, the main clause will be either in conditional simple or the conditional perfect. We use the conditional simple to discuss a hypothetical present (as in the first example above), and the conditional perfect to discuss a hypothetical past (as in the second example).
Where to put object pronouns in the past perfect subjunctive?
In Brazilian Portuguese, direct and indirect pronouns, such as me meaning me, te meaning you, and nos meaning us, are usually placed after the auxiliary, as in:
However, they can also be placed before the auxiliary verb, or even be omitted if the context makes it clear.
✅ Achei que tivessem visto.
Summary
In this post, we talked about the form and the use of the past perfect subjunctive. We saw that:
The past perfect subjunctive is formed by the auxiliary ter meaning to have conjugated in the imperfect subjunctive tense and followed by a main verb in the past participle form, as in:
Eu tivesse andado.Translation: I had walked.The past perfect subjunctive is used to speculate or make assumptions about events or actions further in the past than another past action, and it is often used with expressions of wishes, emotions, or doubt.
The past perfect subjunctive is also used in “if-clauses” paired with the conditional simple or the conditional perfect to express an unfulfilled condition and its hypothetical outcome in the present or past.
Finally, we also saw that object pronouns when used with past perfect subjunctive, as in all compound tenses, can be placed in between the auxiliary and the main verb, or be omitted altogether if it is clear in the context.
Now, practice the form and use of the past perfect subjunctive with these activities!
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