Question 1

Why do we use comêssemos (imperfect subjunctive) here instead of a normal past tense?

Accepted Answer

This sentence is reporting a command or piece of advice given in the past. The original direct speech was likely an imperative, like "Eat more vegetables!". When we report an imperative using a past tense reporting verb like aconselhou (advised), the verb in the que clause shifts to the imperfect subjunctive (comêssemos).

Question 2

Could this be phrased without using the subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Verbs like aconselhar (to advise) and pedir (to ask) can often use an infinitive structure instead of a que clause. You could say Ele aconselhou-nos a comer mais legumes (He advised us to eat more vegetables). Both are perfectly correct and widely used by native speakers.

Question 3

Why does comêssemos have a circumflex accent (^) on the "e"?

Accepted Answer

In the imperfect subjunctive, the nós (we) and vós (you all) forms always require a written accent to keep the stress on the correct root syllable. Without the accent, normal Portuguese pronunciation rules would shift the vocal stress to the second-to-last syllable, which would sound incorrect.

Question 4

Wait, doesn't legumes mean "legumes" like beans and peas?

Accepted Answer

Legumes is a classic "false friend"! While it looks exactly like the English word, in Portuguese it broadly means "vegetables". If you want to talk specifically about beans, peas, or lentils, you would use words like feijão, ervilhas, or lentilhas.

Ele aconselhou que nós comêssemos mais legumes todos os dias.

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