Breakdown of O prisioneiro quis que a revolta começasse à meia-noite.
à
at the (fem. sg.) / to the (fem. sg.)
a meia-noite
the midnight
começar
to begin
querer
to want
que
that (conjunction)
o prisioneiro
the prisoner
a revolta
the revolt
Questions & Answers about O prisioneiro quis que a revolta começasse à meia-noite.
Why is começasse in the Imperfect Subjunctive instead of the Present Subjunctive?
The tense of the dependent clause must align with the main verb. If the sentence were in the present (The prisoner wants...), we would use the Present Subjunctive (O prisioneiro quer que a revolta comece). Because the main verb is in the past (quis), the dependent verb must backshift into the Imperfect Subjunctive (começasse).
The English translation uses the infinitive to start. Why can't I just say quis a revolta começar?
Could we use the Imperfect past tense (queria) instead of the Pretérito Perfeito (quis) here?
Yes, and queria is actually more common for expressing past desires! Using queria describes an ongoing background desire, whereas quis implies a specific, decisive moment of wanting or demanding. Because both are past tenses, both require the Imperfect Subjunctive (começasse) in the dependent clause.
A quick spelling reminder: why does começasse need a cedilla (ç)?
The letter c naturally makes a soft s sound before e and i (like in the Present Subjunctive comece). But because the Imperfect Subjunctive ending here starts with an a (-asse), we must add the cedilla to keep the soft sound. Without it, comecasse would have a hard k sound!
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