Breakdown of O homem aterrorizado estava a tremer como se tivesse visto um monstro.
o homem
the man
ter
to have
um
a / an / some (all forms)
estar
to be (temporary / location)
Questions & Answers about O homem aterrorizado estava a tremer como se tivesse visto um monstro.
Why do we use tivesse visto instead of the indicative tinha visto?
The conjunction como se (as if) sets up a purely hypothetical or unreal comparison, which strictly requires the subjunctive mood in Portuguese. Because we are talking about an imaginary event in the past, we use the Past Perfect Subjunctive (Mais-Que-Perfeito do Conjuntivo).
How is the compound tense tivesse visto formed?
It is formed by using the auxiliary verb ter conjugated in the Imperfect Subjunctive (tivesse for the third-person singular) plus the past participle of the main verb (visto, the irregular participle of ver).
Could I use estava tremendo instead of estava a tremer?
While grammatically correct, estava tremendo uses the gerund, which is the standard in Brazilian Portuguese. Standard European Portuguese usually forms continuous tenses with estar a followed by the infinitive, hence estava a tremer.
Why does the adjective aterrorizado come after homem?
In Portuguese, adjectives generally follow the noun when they describe an objective state, condition, or physical trait. This rule almost always applies to past participles used as adjectives, like aterrorizado.