Breakdown of Eles falaram connosco como se tivessem descoberto um extraterrestre ou um vampiro.
eles
they (m)
ter
to have
um
a / an / some (all forms)
falar
to speak
connosco
with us
ou
or
descobrir
to discover
como se
as if
o extraterrestre
the alien
o vampiro
the vampire
Questions & Answers about Eles falaram connosco como se tivessem descoberto um extraterrestre ou um vampiro.
Why do we use the compound tense 'tivessem descoberto' instead of just 'descobrissem'?
The phrase como se (as if) always triggers the subjunctive because it sets up an unreal or hypothetical scenario. We use the Past Perfect Subjunctive (tivessem descoberto) to show that this hypothetical discovery happened before they spoke to us. If you used the Imperfect Subjunctive (descobrissem), it would mean 'as if they were discovering', happening at the exact same time they were speaking.
How exactly is the tense for 'tivessem descoberto' formed in this sentence?
It is the Past Perfect Subjunctive (Mais-Que-Perfeito do Conjuntivo). You form it by taking the Imperfect Subjunctive of the auxiliary verb ter (which is tivessem for the eles form) and adding the past participle of the main verb (descoberto).
I noticed the past participle of 'descobrir' is 'descoberto'. Are there other common verbs that follow this irregular pattern?
Yes, descobrir is irregular and does not use the standard -ido ending. It shares this pattern with its root verb cobrir (to cover), which becomes coberto, as well as abrir (to open), which becomes aberto.
As a quick refresher, why does connosco have a double 'n'?
In European Portuguese, the combination of the preposition com (with) and the pronoun nós (us) is always spelled connosco with a double 'n'. You might occasionally see it with a single 'n' (conosco) in Brazilian materials, but the double 'n' is the standard spelling in Portugal.
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