Forming the Portuguese Imperfect Sub

This tense lives in the world of the subjective. It is not about hard facts or completed actions. It focuses on the possibility of something happening. Usually, it depends on another verb in the sentence. We call this a "dependent" mood. For example, you might say "I wanted you to go." The "wanted" part is a fact in the past. The "you to go" part is the imperfect subjunctive. It represents the desire, not the actual going. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. The first verb gives the signal to change mood. It creates a bridge between reality and your imagination. Even native speakers use this to soften their speech. It sounds much kinder than using the direct imperative. You will hear it constantly in movies and music. It is the language of romance and deep thought.

1. 1There is a secret shortcut for this tense. It works for almost every single Portuguese verb.
2. 2Find the third person plural of the Pretérito Perfeito.
3. 3This is the "they" form in the past.
4. 4Let's take the verb falar. The form is falaram.
5. 5Now, remove the -ram from the end.
6. 6You are left with the base fala-.
7. 7For the verb comer, the form is comeram.
8. 8Remove -ram to get the base come-.
9. 9Now you just add the double-S endings.
10. 10The endings are: -sse, -sses, -sse, -ssemos, -sseis, -ssem.
11. 11Add them to your base and you are done.
12. 12Wait, there is one small catch for nós. You must add a graphic accent here. It goes on the vowel right before the ending. For falar, it becomes falássemos. For comer, it becomes comêssemos. For ir, it becomes fôssemos. Yes, even irregular verbs follow this falaram trick. If the past is tiveram, the base is tive-. The form becomes tivesse. It is like a magic key for grammar.

Use this tense for "if" clauses with the conditional. This is the most common real-world scenario. "If I had money, I would buy a car." In Portuguese, that is Se eu tivesse dinheiro. It also follows verbs of emotion or desire. "I wished that she were here." You use it after the word que. It is perfect for job interviews. "I would like you to consider my application." You are being polite while expressing a wish. Use it for things that didn't happen. "If it hadn't rained, we would have gone." It also works for unlikely future events. "If I won the lottery tomorrow..." Even though it's the "past" subjunctive, it handles future dreams. Think of it as the "hypothetical" tense. It is your best friend for expressing regrets too. "I wish I had studied more for that test."

Do not use this tense for certain facts. If something definitely happened, use the indicative. "If it rains, I stay home" uses the present. That is a general rule, not a dream. Avoid it when the trigger verb is in the present. Usually, the present tense triggers the Present Subjunctive. "I want you to go" is quero que você vá. "I wanted you to go" is queria que você fosse. Notice the shift in time and mood. Do not use it for simple past actions. "Yesterday I went to the store" is pure indicative. Native speakers sometimes mix this up with the future subjunctive. But the future subjunctive is for things that *will* happen. The imperfect subjunctive is for things that *might* happen. Keep your dreams and facts in separate boxes.

Many people forget the double 's' in writing. Remember, it looks like a long hiss: falasse. Another common trap is the nós form accent. Without the accent, the word sounds very wrong. It might even mean something else entirely. Some learners use the infinitive after se. "Se eu ter tempo" is a very common error. The correct way is Se eu tivesse tempo. Think of it like putting the wrong fuel in a car. The sentence just won't run smoothly. Don't worry, even native speakers mess this up sometimes. They might use the indicative where the subjunctive belongs. But as a B2 learner, you want to be precise. Another mistake is ignoring irregular past forms. You must use the fizeram base for fazer. Using fazesse will make people tilt their heads. Always start from that "they" form in the past. It is your safety net for every verb.

Let's compare this to the Future Subjunctive. The Future Subjunctive is for real possibilities later. "When I have time, I will call you." That uses tiver. The Imperfect Subjunctive is for imaginary situations now. "If I had time, I would call you." That uses tivesse. See the difference in the "vibe"? One is a plan, the other is a dream. Now compare it to the Present Subjunctive. The Present Subjunctive is for current wishes or doubts. "I hope you are happy" is esteja. "I hoped you were happy" is estivesse. The time of the main verb dictates the mood. It is like a set of matching clothes. If the main verb is past, the second is past. If the main verb is present, the second is present. Usually, anyway. Grammar likes to be coordinated like that.