The Brazilian Portuguese present perfect subjunctive is a compound tenseNo definition set for compound tenseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. formed by combining the auxiliary verbNo definition set for auxiliary verbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. ter(to have) in the present subjunctive with a past participleNo definition set for past participleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. We use the present perfect subjunctive for an event that may or may not have been completed before the moment of speaking or before another event in the future.
Espero que vocês tenham gostado da viagem.
I hope you have enjoyed the trip.
Like the present subjunctive, the present perfect subjunctive is triggered by words and phrases expressing wishes, emotions, requests, doubt, and denial. Ready to know more about this verb tense in Brazilian Portuguese? Let's go!
The present perfect subjunctive is a compound verb tense formed combining an auxiliary verb ter(to have) in the present subjunctive and a main verb in its past participle form.
present subjunctive
past participle
É provável que eles já tenham saído do hotel.
It is likely that they have already left the hotel.
Eu espero que você tenha gostado do jantar.
I hope that you liked the dinner.
Here is a chart illustrating the full conjugation of the present perfect subjunctive:
Subject pronouns | ter(to have) Present Subjunctive | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
eu(I) | tenha | estudado(studied)comido(eaten)saído(gone) |
tu(you) | tenhas | |
você(you, sg.)ele(he, it)ela(she, it) | tenha | |
nós(we) | tenhamos | |
vós*(you, formal) | tenhais | |
vocês(you, pl.)eles, elas(they) | tenham |
Remember that the past participles of regular verbs end in -ado (for -ar verbs) and -ido (for -er/-ir verbs), as in:
viajar(to travel) → viajado(traveled)
viver(to live) → vivido(lived)
There are also some verbs with irregular past participles, such as escrever(to write) → escrito(written). If you need a quick refresher about past participle verbs in Brazilian Portuguese, check this Brazilian Portuguese past participle reference sheet.
It’s simple to form the present perfect subjunctive, isn’t it? Now, let’s get to know how to use this verb tense!
In Brazilian Portuguese, the present perfect subjunctive, like other subjunctive tenses, is mostly used in a subordinate clauseNo definition set for subordinate clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum..
Eu espero que você tenha aproveitado o fim de semana!
I hope you enjoyed the weekend!
Although it’s less common, the present perfect subjunctive can also appear in an independent clauseNo definition set for independent clauseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.. This mostly happens in two cases:
Some imperative or fixed expressions used for delivering wishes:
Que Deus tenha te abençoado!
May God have blessed you!
Que tenha vencido o melhor!
May the best have won!
With the adverbNo definition set for adverbLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. talvez(maybe):
Talvez ela não tenha gostado do presente de Natal.
Maybe she didn’t like her Christmas present.
Talvez eu não tenha fechado as janelas.
Maybe I didn’t close the windows.
We use the present perfect subjunctive specifically in two cases:
To mention a potential past action that would impact the present.
Eu duvido que as crianças não tenham chorado.
I doubt that the children didn’t cry.
To mention a potential action that would take place before some specific future moment.
Eu espero que a Cláudia tenha terminado o projeto quando eu voltar de férias.
I hope Claudia has finished the project when I get back from vacation.
If the future moment is itself uncertain, you’ll use the future subjunctive.
Espero que Cláudia tenha terminado o projeto até o fim do mês.
I hope that Cláudia will have finished the project by the end of the month.
The grammatical structures that trigger the present perfect subjunctive are similar to the present subjunctive triggers. However, these triggers are used a little differently with the present perfect subjunctive, so let’s look at some examples, and then we can compare the present perfect subjunctive with the present subjunctive more directly.
Like the present subjunctive, you can use the present perfect subjunctive after “W.E.I.R.D.” expressions:
Wishes | Tomara que eles tenham chegado bem. I hope they arrived well. |
|---|---|
Emotions | Estou surpresa que eles tenham ganhado o campeonato. I am surprised that they won the championship. |
Impersonal Expressions | É bom que você tenha pagado a conta de luz. It’s good that you paid the electricity bill. |
Requests | Eu exijo que eles já tenham terminado a reforma. I require that they have finished the renovation. |
Doubt or Denial | Eu duvido que ela tenha feito o jantar. I doubt that she made the dinner. |
When the subordinate clause has the same subject as the main clause, which is common if you’re expressing wishes, emotions, or doubts, you can use use the personal infinitive instead of the subjunctive.
To do this just, drop que(that) and use the personal infinitive of ter instead of the present subjunctive.
Eu espero que eu não tenha esquecido o celular no escritório hoje.
Eu espero não ter esquecido atrasada no escritório hoje.
I hope I didn’t forget my phone at the office today.
Eles duvidam que tenham ganhado o prêmio.
Eles duvidam terem ganhado o prêmio.
They doubt they won the prize.
Both usages are common and exist in Brazilian Portuguese. However, the present perfect subjunctive sounds more formal than the personal infinitive.
Take a look at this chart to see more expressions that call the use of the present perfect subjunctive!
Some specific conjunctionsNo definition set for conjunctionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. require the following verb to be in the subjunctive. They are similar to the ones used with the present subjunctive, though some tend to trigger the present perfect subjunctive specifically. For example:
Ainda que eu tenha gostado do filme, não quero assisti-lo novamente.
Even though I enjoyed the movie, I don’t want to watch it again.
Caso eles já tenham ido, nós teremos que ir de ônibus.
In case they have already gone, we will have to go by bus.
Check out this chart of conjunctions with the present perfect subjunctive to see some more examples.
A couple of fixed expressions can trigger the present perfect subjunctive, including:
quem quer que(whoever), o que quer que(whatever)
O que quer que eu tenha comido, acho que não me fez bem.
Whatever I ate, I think it didn’t make me feel good.
quer(whether) + present perfect subjunctive + quer não(or not) + main clause
Quer tenha dormido, quer não, ele continua cansado.
Whether he’s slept or not, he’s still tired.
Though the same expressions and conjunctions trigger both the present perfect subjunctive and the present subjunctive, there is a difference in meaning.
The present perfect subjunctive is used for potential actions that you expect were completed before the moment of speech or before a specific future moment.
The present subjunctive is used for potential actions that you expect to be happening or concluding at the moment of speech.
See the comparison below.
Espero que eles já tenham terminado a reunião.
I hope they have already finished the meeting.
Espero que eles já tenham terminado a reunião até a hora que nós chegarmos.
I hope they have already finished the meeting by the time we arrive.
Espero que eles terminem a reunião agora.
I hope they finish the meeting now.
Above we’ve seen that the present perfect subjunctive can be paired with a main clause in the present tense, however it can also be paired with a main clause in the preterite, future indicative, or in the imperative, when linked by a conjunction that calls for the present perfect subjunctive. Let’s see the different tense combinations below.
preterite indicative
conjunction
present perfect subjunctive
Ele me deu um desconto mesmo que eu não tenha pedido.
He gave me a discount even though I didn’t ask for it.
imperative
conjunction
present perfect subjunctive
Não saia daqui até que eu tenha terminado de consertar tudo.
Don’t leave here until I have finished fixing everything.
future indicative
conjunction
present perfect subjunctive
Ele não desistirá antes que tenha completado o circuito.
He will not give up until he has completed the circuit.
In this post, we learned that:
The present perfect subjunctive is a compound tense: ter(present subjunctive) participle.
Espero que você tenha aproveitado o fim de semana!
I hope you enjoyed the weekend!
The present perfect subjunctive mainly appears in subordinate clauses referencing a completed action that:
may have happened in the past.
may be completed before a specific moment in the future.
The present perfect subjunctive shares the same triggers of the present subjunctive:
expressions giving wishes, emotions, impersonal expressions, requests, or doubt/denial.
some conjunctions and fixed expressions.
The present perfect subjunctive can be paired with a main clause in the preterite, present, future indicative, or in the imperative.
Espero que você tenha gostado desse post!(I hope you liked this post!) Now you can try out this activity to practice the present perfect subjunctive!
