Portuguese Grammar Guide

Past perfect subjunctive (e.g.: Eu tivesse falado)

On this page: Description, Questions, Exercises

Description

An Overview of the Past Perfect Subjunctive (Mais-que-perfeito do Conjuntivo Composto)

The past perfect subjunctive is used like the past perfect, but in contexts where the subjunctive is required. It refers to an action that occurred before another past action, viewed with uncertainty, emotion, or subjectivity.

Preferia que não tivesses comprado esse casaco.

How to Form the Past Perfect Subjunctive

The past perfect subjunctive is formed using the imperfect subjunctive of ter followed by the past participle:

Subject	Imperfect subjunctive of ter	Past participle
eu	tivesse	dito
tu	tivesses	dito
ele/ela/você	tivesse	dito
nós	tivéssemos	dito
vocês/eles	tivessem	dito

How to Use the Past Perfect Subjunctive

As with other subjunctive forms, it is triggered by verbs and expressions that express:

desire → querer que
doubt → duvidar que
emotion → lamentar que
necessity → era importante que

Examples:

Queríamos que tivéssemos ficado na praia.
Ele duvidava que o político tivesse dito a verdade.
Era importante que vocês tivessem chegado a tempo.

Common triggers (in the past)

When these verbs or expressions are in the past, they trigger the past perfect subjunctive:

queria que, duvidava que, esperava que
era necessário que, era importante que

Use in se clauses (hypothetical past)

The past perfect subjunctive is used after se in hypothetical past situations:

Não teria feito isso se tivesse sabido.

👉 Rule:

after se → past perfect subjunctive
main clause → conditional perfect

Expressing “would have / should have”

Portuguese typically uses the conditional perfect for this meaning:

Teria escrito uma carta, mas não tive tempo.

However, in some contexts, the past perfect subjunctive may appear in similar hypothetical constructions.

🔑 Key point

The past perfect subjunctive expresses:

an action completed before another past action
viewed with uncertainty, emotion, or hypothetical meaning

Questions

Questions about the Past Perfect Subjunctive (Portuguese)

Questions about the Past Perfect Subjunctive (Portuguese)

Q: Why is it Queria que tu tivesses dito and NOT ~~Queria que tu tinhas dito~~ nor Queria que tu tenhas dito?
The verb querer in the past (queria) requires the past perfect subjunctive in the subordinate clause, not the indicative (tinhas dito) or the present perfect subjunctive (tenhas dito).

Q: Why is it … depois que o tinha feito and NOT … ~~depois que o tivesse feito~~?
The expression depois que is followed by the indicative, while antes que is followed by the subjunctive. Events after they happen are considered certain, so the indicative is used.

Q: Why is it Acreditava que tinhas vindo and NOT ~~Acreditava que tivesses vindo~~?
The verb acreditar (like crer) is followed by the indicative in affirmative sentences, but by the subjunctive in negative ones:

Acreditava que tinhas vindo.
Não acreditava que tivesses vindo.

Q: Why is it Não pensava que ele tivesse sabido and NOT ~~Não pensava que ele tinha sabido~~?
The verb pensar is followed by the subjunctive in negative sentences and by the indicative in affirmative ones:

Pensava que ele tinha sabido.
Não pensava que ele tivesse sabido.

Q: Why is it Eu faria o trabalho se o tivesse trazido para casa and NOT ~~Eu teria feito o trabalho se o faria trazido para casa~~?
After se, you must use the past perfect subjunctive, not the conditional:

se tivesse trazido (correct)
se faria trazido (incorrect)

Q: Why is it Nós teríamos ido à Guatemala (for “would have gone”) and NOT ~~Nós tínhamos ido à Guatemala~~?
To express a hypothetical or unreal past, Portuguese uses the conditional perfect (teríamos ido).
The form tínhamos ido is indicative and means the action actually happened.

Exercises

Write the correct form of either the past perfect or the past perfect subjunctive (no “would have” meaning):

Era bom que nós (comer) antes da viagem.

De manhã, a minha mãe já (preparar) o pequeno-almoço.

O professor queria que os alunos (fazer) todo o trabalho.

Ontem fui ao parque e vi que alguém (cortar) a relva.

A reunião foi importante para que tu (saber) as regras.