Past Influence and Emotion
When we talk about wishes, demands, or expectations we had in the past, the main verb—such as querer (to want) or exigir (to demand)—is conjugated in a past tense (usually the Pretérito Imperfeito or Pretérito Perfeito).
If the action we were hoping for or demanding was supposed to be completed before or by that past moment, the subordinate clause (following que) must use the Mais-que-perfeito do Conjuntivo (Pluperfect Subjunctive).
As a reminder, this compound tense is formed using the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary verb ter (tivesse, tivesses, tivesse, tivéssemos, tivessem) plus the past participle of the main verb (e.g., cumprido, terminado).
| My stepfather wanted me to have met the expectations. | O meu padrasto queria que eu tivesse cumprido as expectativas. |
| My father demanded that we had finished the bachelor's degree. | O meu pai exigiu que nós tivéssemos terminado a licenciatura. |
Past Doubts and Fears
This same sequence of tenses applies when a past matrix verb expresses an emotion like fear (recear) or doubt (duvidar) regarding an event that supposedly already happened.
| The mother feared that the teacher had reprimanded the rebellious son. | A mãe receava que o professor tivesse repreendido o filho rebelde. |
| The stepmother doubted that medicine had been the girl's option. | A madrasta duvidava que a medicina tivesse sido a opção da rapariga. |
Unfulfilled Hopes and Preferences
Using this sequence with verbs like esperar (to hope) or preferir (to prefer) often carries an underlying sense of regret or unfulfilled expectation—meaning the person hoped something had happened, but it likely did not.
| The stepmother hoped that you had pursued the family career. | A madrasta esperava que tu tivesses prosseguido a carreira familiar. |
| She preferred that I had chosen a different option. | Ela preferia que eu tivesse escolhido uma opção diferente. |