-esse/-esses/-esse/-êssemos/-êsseis/-essem
Imperfeito Do Subjuntivo -ER
The Imperfeito do Subjuntivo (Imperfect Subjunctive) is the mood of unreality. For -ER verbs, it uses the characteristic -esse ending. It is essential for saying things like 'If I had' or 'I wanted you to eat'.
How It Works
The Imperfect Subjunctive is one of the most common tenses in Portuguese because it handles all 'what if' scenarios.
1. Formation:
To conjugate an -ER verb, look at the 'eles' form of the past tense (Preterite).
Example: Comer → Comeram.
Drop the -ram and add:
- Eu: -esse (comesse)
- Tu: -esses (comesses)
- Você/Ele/Ela: -esse (comesse)
- Nós: -êssemos (comêssemos)
- Vocês/Eles/Elas: -essem (comessem)
2. The 'Nós' Accent:
The nós form always requires a circumflex accent on the thematic vowel (-ê-) because the stress shifts to the third-to-last syllable.
3. Usage Scenarios:
- Hypotheticals: Paired with the Conditional to describe things that aren't true right now. Se eu vivesse em Lisboa, seria feliz. (If I lived in Lisbon, I would be happy).
- Past Triggers: When the main verb is in the past. Eu pedi que ele comesse. (I asked that he eat).
- Politeness: Used to soften wishes. Quem dera eu pudesse ir! (If only I could go!)
Examples (4)
- Se eu tivesse dinheiro, eu compraria aquele carro.
If I had money, I would buy that car.
Word by Word: If I had money, I would-buy that car.
Uses 'tivesse' (from ter) to create a hypothetical condition contrary to reality.
- Eu não queria que eles perdessem o ônibus.
I didn't want them to miss the bus.
Word by Word: I not wanted that they missed the bus.
The past-tense trigger 'queria' forces the use of the imperfect subjunctive 'perdessem'.
- Se nós comêssemos mais cedo, não teríamos fome agora.
If we ate earlier, we wouldn't be hungry now.
Word by Word: If we ate more early, not we-would-have hunger now.
Note the circumflex accent on 'comêssemos', mandatory for the 'nós' form.
- Ela agiu como se não me conhecesse.
She acted as if she didn't know me.
Word by Word: She acted as if not me knew.
The expression 'como se' (as if) almost always triggers this tense.
Common Mistakes
Using the Present Indicative after 'se' for hypotheticals.
Se eu tenho tempo, eu leria o livro.Se eu tivesse tempo, eu leria o livro.In English, we say 'If I had' (past tense). In Portuguese, you cannot use the indicative 'tenho' or 'tinha' for a hypothetical; you must use the subjunctive 'tivesse'.
Forgetting the accent on the 'nós' form.
Se nós escrevessemos uma carta...Se nós escrevêssemos uma carta...The 'nós' form of the imperfect subjunctive always requires a circumflex accent on the vowel before the -sse.
Using the wrong stem for irregular verbs.
Se ele fazesse o trabalho...Se ele fizesse o trabalho...This tense is based on the Preterite stem. Since 'fazer' becomes 'fizeram' in the past, the subjunctive must be 'fizesse', not 'fazesse'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the imperfect subjunctive for -ER verbs, you first need to be comfortable with regular -ER verb conjugation in the present tense. Crucially, you must know the Pretérito Perfeito (past tense) because the stem for the imperfect subjunctive is derived from the third-person plural form of that tense. Familiarity with the -AR version of this subjunctive pattern is also helpful as it follows the same logical structure.
- -i/-este/-eu/-emos/-estes/-eramPretérito Perfeito -ER Verbs
The imperfect subjunctive stem is derived from the third-person plural of the Pretérito Perfeito (e.g., 'comeram' -> 'comesse').
Level 2 - -asse/-asses/-asse/-ássemos/-ásseis/-assemImperfeito Do Subjuntivo -AR
Learning the -AR version of the imperfect subjunctive first establishes the conceptual framework for how this mood and tense function.
Level 4
Related Patterns
- tivesse/fizesse/pudesse/quisesse/soubesse/dissesseImperfeito Do Subjuntivo Irregular Comum
Common irregular -ER verbs in this tense that follow the same -esse endings but change their stems.
Level 4 - se + Imperfect Subjunctive + ConditionalCondição Irreal (Presente)
The standard sentence structure for expressing 'If... then...' hypothetical scenarios.
Level 4 - como se + Imperfect SubjunctiveComo Se (As if)
A specific conjunction that always requires this tense to describe imaginary comparisons.
Level 4 - Sequence of Tenses (Past)
The grammatical rule explaining why a past-tense main verb requires the imperfect subjunctive.
Level 5
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice -esse/-esses/-esse/-êssemos/-êsseis/-essem in Bubblegum
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