Breakdown of Duvidava que estivesses a vasculhar o meu escritório por causa da gravação.
estar
to be (temporary / location)
o escritório
the office
meu
my (m/f/pl: meu, minha, meus, minhas)
que
that (conjunction)
por causa de
because of (due to)
duvidar
to doubt
vasculhar
to rummage
a gravação
the recording
Questions & Answers about Duvidava que estivesses a vasculhar o meu escritório por causa da gravação.
Why is estivesses in the Imperfect Subjunctive rather than the Present Subjunctive (estejas)?
It is due to the sequence of tenses. The main verb that triggers the doubt, Duvidava, is in a past tense (the Imperfect Indicative). When the main verb is in the past, the subjunctive verb in the following clause must also be in the past, hence the Imperfect Subjunctive estivesses.
What is the difference between saying estivesses a vasculhar and just using the simple Imperfect Subjunctive vasculhasses?
Using estivesses a plus the infinitive creates the Continuous Subjunctive. Just like the English translation 'were snooping', it emphasizes that the action was ongoing or in progress at that specific time in the past. Vasculhasses would simply translate to 'snooped'.
The translation says 'I doubted', but couldn't Duvidava also mean 'he doubted' or 'she doubted'?
Could I use porque instead of por causa da to say 'because of the'?
No, they function differently. Porque (because) is a conjunction and must be followed by a clause with a conjugated verb. Por causa de (because of) is a prepositional phrase used before a noun. Since gravação is a noun, you must use por causa da (a contraction of por causa de and a).
Learn Duvidava que estivesses a vasculhar o meu escritório por causa da gravação and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free