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Portuguese (Portugal)

### Irregular Verbs in the Imperfect Subjunctive

Many of the most common verbs in Portuguese are highly irregular in the imperfect subjunctive (*pretérito imperfeito do conjuntivo*). We use these forms for the exact same reasons as regular verbs—hypotheticals, past wishes, and imaginary conditions—which makes them perfect for talking about myths, legends, and fairy tales.

### The Rule for Finding the Stem

While irregular verbs have completely changed stems, there is a reliable trick to finding them. 

Take the **eles/elas** form of the simple past (*pretérito perfeito do indicativo*), drop the **-ram** ending, and add the standard imperfect subjunctive endings: **-sse**, **-sses**, **-sse**, **-ssemos**, **-ssem**.

- **fazer** (to do/make) ➔ *eles fizeram* ➔ drop *-ram* ➔ **fize-** ➔ *fizesse*
- **ter** (to have) ➔ *eles tiveram* ➔ drop *-ram* ➔ **tive-** ➔ *tivesse*
- **poder** (to be able to) ➔ *eles puderam* ➔ drop *-ram* ➔ **pude-** ➔ *pudesse*

| Pronoun | ser / ir (foram) | ter (tiveram) | fazer (fizeram) |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | fosse | tivesse | fizesse |
| tu | fosses | tivesses | fizesses |
| ele/ela/você | fosse | tivesse | fizesse |
| nós | fôssemos | tivéssemos | fizéssemos |
| eles/elas/vocês | fossem | tivessem | fizessem |

*Note:* Just like with regular verbs, the **nós** form requires a written accent on the vowel right before the ending (**fôssemos**, **tivéssemos**, etc.).

### *Ser* and *Ir*

As in many past tenses, the verbs **ser** (to be) and **ir** (to go) share the exact same forms. The context of the sentence will always tell you which verb is being used.

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### Common Irregulars: *Ter*, *Vir*, *Ver*, and *Poder*

Using the rule above, we get the stems **tive-** for *ter* (to have), **vie-** for *vir* (to come), **vi-** for *ver* (to see), and **pude-** for *poder* (to be able to). 

These are frequently used after conditional triggers like **se** (if) or purpose triggers like **para que** (so that).

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### More Irregular Stems: *Dizer*, *Saber*, *Dar*, and *Pôr*

A few more extremely common verbs follow the same pattern to get their stems: **disse-** for *dizer* (to say), **soube-** for *saber* (to know), **de-** for *dar* (to give), and **puse-** for *pôr* (to put).

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Imperfect subjunctive of irregular verbs (tivesse, fosse...)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

contraction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

phrase

prefix

prep

preposition

pron

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstratives and the verb to be (isto é, o, a)

Subject pronouns and negation (eu, não)

Yes/no questions and question words (quem, o que)

Plural pronouns, articles, and verbs (somos, são, os, as)

Origin and possession (de, do, da)

Introductions (chamar-se)

Indefinite articles (um, uma, uns, umas)

The verb to be for locations (estar)

Contrasting the two verbs to be (ser vs. estar)

Preposition for locations (em, no, na)

Numbers 0 to 10 (zero, um, dois)

The verb to have (tenho, tem)

Regular -ar verbs (falar, trabalhar)

Regular -er verbs (comer, beber)

Regular -ir verbs (abrir, partir)

My, your, and our (o meu, a nossa)

His, hers, and theirs (dele, dela)

Adjective agreement and placement

Days of the week (segunda-feira)

Months of the year (janeiro)

Counting by tens to 100 (trinta, quarenta...)

Telling time (é uma, são...)

Asking about time (quando, a que horas)

The verb to go (ir)

Prepositions of direction (a, para)

Preposition a contractions (ao, à, aos, às)

Prepositions of place (ao lado de, em frente de...)

Demonstratives (este, esse, aquele)

Contractions with demonstratives (neste, desse, daquele)

Asking which and how many (qual, quanto)

Plurals ending in -ão (-ões, -ãos, -ães)

Plurals ending in consonants (-ns, -is, -es)

The verb to like (gostar de)

The verb to need (precisar de)

The verb to want (querer)

The verb can or may (poder)

Expressing obligation (ter de)

Adverbs of degree (muito, pouco)

Quantifiers (muito, pouco)

Comparatives (mais... do que, menos... do que)

Equality comparisons (tão... como)

The preposition com (comigo, contigo)

Coordinating conjunctions (e, mas, ou, porque)

The preposition por (pelo, pela)

Double negation (nunca, nada, ninguém)

Present continuous (estar a)

Near future (ir)

Past tense of regular -ar verbs

Past tense of regular -er and -ir verbs

Past tense of ser and ir (fui, foi)

Direct object pronouns (me, te, o, a, nos, os, as)

Pronoun placement with negatives and questions

Greetings and courtesy (bom dia, obrigado)

Physical states with ter (ter fome, ter frio)

Asking the way (à direita, sempre em frente)

Colours (vermelho, amarelo, cor-de-rosa)

Money and shopping (custar, a moeda)

Getting around (o motorista, a paragem de autocarro)

Weather and seasons (faz calor, o inverno)

Omitting the subject pronoun

Where things are: ficar (Onde fica...?)

Richer questions: que + noun and é que

Numbers above 100 (cento e vinte, mil)

First-person sound changes (durmo, prefiro)

Advice and ability: dever and saber

Asking why: porquê and porque

When one thing happens: quando-clauses

Here and there: aqui, aí, ali (cá e lá)

Formal and plural possessives: o seu, o vosso

Irregular presents: ver, vir, dar

Present irregulars

Reflexive verbs (me, te, se, nos)

Stem-changing reflexives

Attached object pronouns (-lo, -la, -los, -las)

Nasal attached pronouns (-no, -na, -nos, -nas)

Pronoun placement with adverbs

Past tense of fazer, dizer, and trazer

Past tense of ter, estar, poder, and saber

Past tense of querer and vir

Past tense of ver, dar, and ler

Past tense reflexive verbs (-se)

Time elapsed in the past (há)

Question	Answer
the dragon	o dragão
to fly	voar
If the dragon were smaller, it would fly better.	Se o dragão fosse mais pequeno, voava melhor.
the princess	a princesa
the monster	o monstro
The princess wanted the monster to be friendly.	A princesa queria que o monstro fosse simpático.
the giant	o gigante
the treasure	o tesouro
If I were a giant, I would keep the treasure.	Se eu fosse um gigante, guardava o tesouro.
the fairy	a fada
magical	mágico
Although the fairy was magical, she didn't do anything.	Embora a fada fosse mágica, não fazia nada.
the wolf	o lobo
If the wolf came here, we would run away.	Se o lobo viesse cá, nós fugíamos.
He hid the treasure so that the dragon wouldn't see it.	Ele escondeu o tesouro para que o dragão não o visse.
I would give the book to the fairy if she came with me.	Eu dava o livro à fada se ela viesse comigo.
The princess hid so that the wolf couldn't enter.	A princesa escondeu-se para que o lobo não pudesse entrar.
If the monster had the key, he would open the door.	Se o monstro tivesse a chave, abria a porta.
It wasn't possible that the giant brought the monster.	Não era possível que o gigante trouxesse o monstro.
I wished that the magical ring did something.	Eu queria que o anel mágico fizesse algo.
If someone said that pigs fly, it would be funny.	Se alguém dissesse que os porcos voam, era engraçado.
the legend	a lenda
If we knew the legend, we would find the treasure.	Se nós soubéssemos a lenda, encontrávamos o tesouro.
The king asked the princess to throw a party.	O rei pediu à princesa que desse uma festa.
If the king put the monster in the castle, it would be dangerous.	Se o rei pusesse o monstro no castelo, era perigoso.
He wanted the legend to have a dragon.	Ele queria que a lenda tivesse um dragão.