Imperfeito do subjuntivo: se eu tivesse
Imperfeito do subjuntivo: se eu tivesse means “Built from the same past stem as the future subjunctive — fizeram → fizesse”. You already know the recipe: take the third person plural of the simple past, drop -ram, and this time add -sse. Formation: 3ª pessoa do plural do pretérito − -ram + -sse/-sses/-sse/-ssemos/-sseis/-ssem
Built from the same past stem as the future subjunctive — fizeram → fizesse
B1Formation
3ª pessoa do plural do pretérito − -ram + -sse/-sses/-sse/-ssemos/-sseis/-ssem
Explanation
You already know the recipe: take the third person plural of the simple past, drop -ram, and this time add -sse. fizeram → fizesse, tiveram → tivesse, foram → fosse, puderam → pudesse, disseram → dissesse, souberam → soubesse, trouxeram → trouxesse, estiveram → estivesse. Regular verbs give falasse, comesse, partisse. Two main contexts. Counterfactual conditions with se: Se eu tivesse dinheiro, eu compraria uma casa. And sequence of tenses after a past main verb, where the present subjunctive would be used after a present one: Ele quer que eu faça becomes Ele queria que eu fizesse. Spanish transfers almost perfectly here (si tuviera/tuviese dinero), with one simplification in your favour: Portuguese has only the -sse form, while Spanish keeps two interchangeable ones.
Examples
Note
Same stem as the future subjunctive, different ending: fizer (future) vs fizesse (imperfect). Learn them as a pair.
FAQ
Imperfeito do subjuntivo: se eu tivesse — what does it mean and how is it used?
Built from the same past stem as the future subjunctive — fizeram → fizesse. You already know the recipe: take the third person plural of the simple past, drop -ram, and this time add -sse. fizeram → fizesse, tiveram → tivesse, foram → fosse, puderam → pudesse, disseram → dissesse, souberam → soubesse, trouxeram → trouxesse, estiveram → estivesse. Regular verbs give falasse, comesse, partisse. Two main contexts. Counterfactual conditions with se: Se eu tivesse dinheiro, eu compraria uma casa. And sequence of tenses after a past main verb, where the present subjunctive would be used after a present one: Ele quer que eu faça becomes Ele queria que eu fizesse. Spanish transfers almost perfectly here (si tuviera/tuviese dinero), with one simplification in your favour: Portuguese has only the -sse form, while Spanish keeps two interchangeable ones.
Imperfeito do subjuntivo: se eu tivesse — how do you form it?
3ª pessoa do plural do pretérito − -ram + -sse/-sses/-sse/-ssemos/-sseis/-ssem
Imperfeito do subjuntivo: se eu tivesse — any usage notes?
Same stem as the future subjunctive, different ending: fizer (future) vs fizesse (imperfect). Learn them as a pair.