Word
Ninguém desejava que a madrasta tivesse partido.
Meaning
Nobody wished that the stepmother had left.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Ninguém desejava que a madrasta tivesse partido.
ter
to have
partir
to leave / to depart
ninguém
nobody / anybody
que
that (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about Ninguém desejava que a madrasta tivesse partido.
Why do we use tivesse partido instead of the imperfect subjunctive partisse?
The main verb desejava (a verb of desire) is in the past tense, which forces the subjunctive in the following clause. We use the compound past perfect subjunctive (tivesse partido) because the stepmother's leaving happened before the feeling of wishing. If you used partisse, it would mean nobody wished that she would leave at that same time or in the future.
Why is the main verb desejava in the imperfect past tense rather than the simple past (desejou)?
The imperfect tense (desejava) is used here to describe an ongoing state of mind or a continuous feeling in the past. If you used the simple past (desejou), it would imply a single, sudden act of wishing at a specific moment, which feels less natural for describing a general sentiment.
Since Ninguém is a negative word, is it triggering the subjunctive here?
Actually, no. While some negative expressions do trigger the subjunctive, the real trigger here is the verb desejava. Verbs expressing desire, emotion, or influence always force the subjunctive in the following que clause, whether the sentence is positive or negative.
Could I use the auxiliary verb houvesse instead of tivesse for this tense?