Breakdown of Nós esperávamos que o herdeiro guardasse o documento legal.
nós
we
o documento
the document
guardar
to keep
que
that (conjunction)
esperar
to hope
o herdeiro
the heir
legal
legal
Questions & Answers about Nós esperávamos que o herdeiro guardasse o documento legal.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive (guardasse) here instead of the present subjunctive (guarde)?
The tense of the subjunctive depends on the main verb. Because the main verb of desire (esperávamos) is in the past, the subjunctive that follows it must also be in the past. This is the core rule of the sequence of tenses. If the sentence were in the present (We hope / esperamos), you would use the present subjunctive: esperamos que o herdeiro guarde.
The English translation says "would keep". Should I use the Portuguese conditional tense for that?
No. In English, we often use "would" plus a verb to talk about a past hope or expectation. However, in Portuguese, the phrase esperávamos que triggers the subjunctive mood. Because of this grammar rule, you must use the imperfect subjunctive (guardasse), never the conditional (guardaria).
Does guardar mean "to guard" or "to keep"?
It can mean both, but in everyday Portuguese, guardar is most frequently used to mean "to keep", "to put away", or "to save" something. In this context, it means keeping the legal document safe, rather than standing watch over it like a physical security guard.
Why does esperávamos have an accent mark?
In the imperfect indicative tense, the nós form of -ar verbs always gets an acute accent on the a before the ending (creating -ávamos). This accent forces the stress onto that specific syllable. Without it, standard pronunciation rules would naturally put the stress on the second-to-last syllable (va).
Learn Nós esperávamos que o herdeiro guardasse o documento legal and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free