Breakdown of Já tinha dito que tudo é injusto.
ser
to be
ter
to have
dizer
to say
já
already
tudo
everything
que
that (conjunction)
injusto
unfair
Questions & Answers about Já tinha dito que tudo é injusto.
Why is é used here instead of the subjunctive?
Even though "everything is unfair" is an opinion, the verb introducing it is dizer que (to say that). Verbs of communication and declaration, just like the affirmative achar que (to think that), state a supposed fact or firm belief, so they trigger the indicative mood. Therefore, we use the normal present tense é rather than the subjunctive seja.
If the main verb was negative, like "I don't say that...", would we need the subjunctive?
Yes! This ties perfectly into what you are learning about achar que vs. não achar que. While affirming a statement takes the indicative, denying it introduces doubt or rejects a premise. So, "I am not saying that everything is unfair" would use the subjunctive: Não digo que tudo seja injusto.
What tense is tinha dito?
It translates to "had said" and is the past perfect tense (called the Pretérito Mais-que-perfeito Composto). You form it with the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb ter (which is tinha for "I") plus the past participle of the main verb. The verb dizer has the irregular past participle dito.
Why do we use tudo here instead of todo or todos?
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