Breakdown of Era impossível que eles estivessem a tramar a intriga sem ajuda.
ser
to be
eles
they (m)
estar
to be (temporary / location)
a ajuda
the help
Questions & Answers about Era impossível que eles estivessem a tramar a intriga sem ajuda.
Why do we use estivessem a tramar (Continuous Subjunctive) instead of just tramassem (Imperfect Subjunctive)?
Both forms are grammatically correct and triggered by the same rule, but estivessem a tramar emphasizes that the plotting was an ongoing, continuous action at that specific moment in the past. Just like the English difference between 'they were plotting' and 'they plotted', Portuguese uses estar (in the subjunctive) + a + infinitive to stretch out the action.
Why is estar conjugated in the imperfect subjunctive (estivessem) rather than the present subjunctive (estejam)?
This is a rule of tense agreement. The main clause's trigger is in the past tense, since Era impossível uses the imperfect indicative. Because the main action is in the past, the subjunctive clause that follows it must also shift to the past (estivessem). If the sentence started in the present tense as É impossível, you would then use the present subjunctive (estejam).
Could we drop the pronoun eles in this sentence?
Yes, you could simply say Era impossível que estivessem a tramar.... Because estivessem is specifically conjugated for the third-person plural, it clearly identifies either 'they' or 'you (plural)'. The context usually makes eles optional, so leaving it in just adds a bit of emphasis to who was doing the plotting.
Does the verb tramar only mean to plot an intrigue or a story?