The imperfect subjunctive: How to form and use it in Brazilian Portuguese?

In Brazilian Portuguese, the imperfect subjunctive, like other subjunctive tenses, is a form of a verb that is used in hypotheses and wishes, and to describe situations that are either likely or uncertain. The imperfect subjunctive is used in a lot of situations — it can be used to talk about uncertain situations in the past, present, or even in the future, as in:

Like the present subjunctive, the imperfect subjunctive is most often used in subordinate clauses that are introduced by “subjunctive triggers.” But there are a few cases where we do use the imperfect subjunctive, but we don’t use the present subjunctive, for example:

• when the main clause in the preterite or imperfect indicative

• where the “then” clause of an “if-then” sentence uses the conditional tense to refer to a hypothetical idea

In this post, we will go through how to form and use the imperfect subjunctive in depth, and compare the use of this tense with the present subjunctive. Curious to know more about it? Keep on reading this post!

The imperfect subjunctive is formed by following a straightforward pattern outline in the steps below:

• Take the third-person plural “they” form of the preterite indicative:

  • eles viajaram(they traveled)

  • eles comeram(they ate)

  • eles dormiram(they slept)

• Remove the ending -ram:

  • viajaram

  • comeram

  • dormiram

• Add the imperfect subjunctive ending verbs, as in the table below:

  *This is a very formal use of “you” and rarely used in Brazilian Portuguese.

  Subject pronouns	-ar verbs	-er verbs	-ir verbs
  	viajar(to travel)	comer(to eat)	dormir(to sleep)
  eu(I)	viajasse	comesse	dormisse
  tu(you)	viajasses	comesses	dormisses
  você(you sg.) ele(he, it) ela(she, it)	viajasse	comesse	dormisse
  nós(we)	viajássemos	comêssemos	dormíssemos
  vós(you, formal)*	viajásseis	comêsseis	dormísseis
  vocês(you all) eles, elas(they)	viajassem	comessem	dormissem

  Notice that we add the acute accent ( ´ ) to the nós and vós forms of verbs ending in -ar and -ir, and also the circumflex accent ( ˆ ) in verbs ending in -er for the same pronouns.

Now, let's see when we use the imperfect subjunctive!

As with the other verbs in the subjunctive mood, we use the imperfect subjunctive in subordinate clauses when the main clause has an expression or conjunction that triggers the subjunctive.

However, unlike the present subjunctive in Brazilian Portuguese, we use the imperfect subjunctive when the main clause contains a verb in a past indicative tense, such as era provável. Let’s compare them below:

As mentioned in the beginning of the post, the imperfect subjunctive is triggered by past tenses in the main clause or by the use of the conditional in the main clause. Let’s see these tense combinations one by one:

• Past tenses in the main clause:

  • Preterite in the main clause:

    preterite indicativesubordinate clause

    Eu pedi que você me esperasse.

    I asked that you wait for me.

  • Imperfect in the main clause:

    imperfect indicativesubordinate clause

    Ele sonhava com o dia em que pudesse comprar aquele apartamento.

    He dreamed of the day where he could buy that apartment.

    → You can also read the specific post about the imperfect indicative if you want to refresh its uses!

• Conditional in the main clause:

  main clausesubordinate clause

  Eles passariam as festas aqui, se pudessem.

  They would spend the holidays here if they could.

  Note that here, we use the simple conditional in the main clause, because we are talking about the hypothetical outcome (eles passariam as festas aqui) of a hypothetical situation. The imperfect subjunctive is commonly paired with the conditional, by the way. We'll see more about this in this post!

The imperfect subjunctive is triggered by the kinds of phrases that trigger the present subjunctive: W.E.I.R.D expressions, certain conjunctions, and after adjective clauses.

• W.E.I.R.D. expressions

  Expressions of Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal Expressions, Requests, or Doubt and Denial with a past tense in the main clause trigger the imperfect subjunctive.

  • preterite indicativeimperfect subjunctive

    Ele pediu que nós esperássemos aqui fora.

    He asked us to wait outside.

  • imperfect indicativeimperfect subjunctive

    Os pais desejavam que o filho fosse dentista.

    The parents wanted their son to be a dentist.

  If you want to see more W.E.I.R.D. expressions that trigger the subjunctive, and also examples with the imperfect subjunctive, take a look at the chart!

• Certain conjunctions

  The same conjunctions that trigger the present subjunctive, also trigger the imperfect subjunctive. However, in this case, the main clause is conjugated in the preterite, the imperfect, or in the simple conditional tense of the indicative.

  conjunctionimperfect subjunctivepreterite indicative

  Embora estivesse sol, choveu o dia inteiro.

  Although it was sunny, it rained all day.

  The conjunction above expresses a concession, and it is followed by the imperfect subjunctive. Take a look at this useful chart with more conjunctions and see how they are used with the imperfect subjunctive!

• Adjective clauses

  The imperfect subjunctive is used in adjective clauses (also called relative clauses), in order to describe something or someone that is unknown or uncertain to the speaker. As in the cases above, the verb in the main clause is in the past or in the simple conditional tense of the indicative.

  • preterite indicativeimperfect subjunctive

    Não conheci ninguém que falasse português durante a viagem.

    I didn't meet anyone who spoke Portuguese during the trip.

  • simple conditionalimperfect subjunctive

    Gostaria de ir a um supermercado que vendesse suco natural.

    I would like to go to a supermarket that sells natural juice.

It’s very common to use the imperfect subjunctive in the “if-clause” of a mostly hypothetical . In these sentences, when the result of the condition is given in the conditional simple.

Therefore we use the imperfect subjunctive to describe an imaginary situation that can lead to a result. Sometimes, it’s possible that the condition will actually be met, but at the time we’re saying the sentence, we’re just imagining what might happen if the condition was met. Here are some more examples:

It’s also common to use this type of conditional with a few particular expressions with se(if):

• se eu fosse...(if I were...)

  Use this as a way to give suggestions or advice in a soft and indirect way.

  imperfect subjunctiveconditional simple

  Se eu fosse você, compraria os presentes de Natal essa semana.

  If I were you, I would buy the Christmas presents this week.

• e se...?(and if...?)

  We use this expression in Brazilian Portuguese, much like you would use “what if…?” in English: to make conjectures about something or make a suggestion in a hypothetical way. This usually occurs in an independent clause and is more common in everyday language.

  • E se pedíssemos uma pizza hoje à noite?

    What if we ordered a pizza tonight?

  • E se o transporte na cidade fosse gratuito?

    What if transport in the city was free?

• como se...(as if...)

  We use the imperfect subjunctive after como se to make a comparison between reality and an unreal situation.

  Nós cantamos no karaokê como se fôssemos profissionais.

  We sang karaoke as if we were professionals.

  → We are not professionals, so this is an unreal comparison.

  Notice that you can use como se… + imperfect subjunctive even when the verb in the main clause is not conditional.

Let’s quickly review what we saw in this post about the imperfect subjunctive:

• It’s used to talk about hypotheses, wishes, uncertainties, or probabilities in the past, present, or even in the future.

• It’s triggered by the same expressions and conjunctions used with the present subjunctive. However, the imperfect subjunctive is paired with verbs conjugated in the preterite or in the imperfect indicative in the main clause.

• In addition to being conjugated with verbs in past tenses of the indicative, the imperfect subjunctive is commonly paired with the conditional simple.

• It’s common to use the imperfect subjunctive in “if-clauses” (se + imperfect subjunctive + conditional simple) to talk about actions unlikely to happen or to express an unreal condition.

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