Breakdown of Eu não queria que a família perdesse a fortuna.
eu
I
não
not / no
a família
the family
querer
to want
perder
to lose
que
that (conjunction)
a fortuna
the fortune
Questions & Answers about Eu não queria que a família perdesse a fortuna.
Why do we use the imperfect subjunctive form perdesse here instead of a normal past tense like perdeu?
The main verb queria (wanted) expresses a desire. In Portuguese, verbs of desire, emotion, or influence trigger the subjunctive in the following clause. Because queria is in the past tense, the sequence of tenses rule means the second verb must also be in the past (imperfect) subjunctive: perdesse.
In English, we say "didn't want the family to lose". Why can't we just use the infinitive perder here?
When the person wanting something is different from the person doing the action, Portuguese requires que followed by a conjugated verb. Since "I" (Eu) is the one wanting, and the family (a família) is the one losing, you must use que + the subjunctive. You would only use the infinitive if the subjects were the same (for example, "I didn't want to lose" = Eu não queria perder).
Could I use the simple past quis instead of the imperfect queria for the first verb?
Yes, but it changes the nuance. Queria describes an ongoing feeling in the past ("I didn't want it to happen" over a period of time). Quis focuses on a specific moment or reaction ("At that moment, I refused to let it happen"). Both are past tenses of a verb of desire, so both trigger the imperfect subjunctive perdesse in the next part of the sentence.
How do I remember how to form the imperfect subjunctive for an ER verb like perder?
To form the imperfect subjunctive, you always start with the "they" form of the simple past (preterite). For perder, that is perderam. Then, drop the -ram ending and add the imperfect subjunctive endings. For a família (which acts as a "she/it"), the ending is -sse, giving us perdesse.
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