Breakdown of Era impossível que eles tivessem assinado o tratado sem ler sobre o assunto.
ser
to be
eles
they (m)
ter
to have
ler
to read
sem
without
que
that (conjunction)
assinar
to sign
sobre
about, on (a topic)
o assunto
the matter
impossível
impossible
o tratado
the treaty
Questions & Answers about Era impossível que eles tivessem assinado o tratado sem ler sobre o assunto.
How do we form the Pluperfect Subjunctive in tivessem assinado?
It is formed by taking the Imperfect Subjunctive of the auxiliary verb ter (which is tivessem for eles) and adding the past participle of the main verb (assinado). We use it here because the trigger Era impossível que is in the past, and the action of signing happened even further in the past.
Since the subject is eles, why does the sentence use the impersonal infinitive ler instead of the personal infinitive lerem?
After prepositions like sem, we use the infinitive. Because the subject (eles) is already clearly established in the previous clause, it is perfectly natural to use the uninflected, impersonal infinitive (ler) to avoid repetition. That said, using the personal infinitive (lerem) would also be completely correct here.
Could I use the verb haver to form this tense instead of ter?
Technically, yes (houvessem assinado). Both ter and haver can be used as auxiliary verbs for the Pluperfect Subjunctive. However, in modern European Portuguese, ter is the standard auxiliary verb for compound tenses. Using haver sounds highly literary or archaic, so you should stick to ter.
Does the phrase era impossível que always require the Pluperfect Subjunctive?
It always requires a subjunctive, but the tense depends on the timeline. If the impossible action happened at the same time as the main verb, you would use the Imperfect Subjunctive (era impossível que eles assinassem - it was impossible for them to sign). Because they signed it before the time in the past when it was deemed impossible, we need the Pluperfect Subjunctive (tivessem assinado - it was impossible that they had signed).
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