Portuguese conjugation explanation

Imperfect subjunctive accent mark

<p>The <strong>first and second person plural</strong> verb forms in the imperfect subjunctive tense require an <strong>accent mark before the attached ending</strong>. Depending on the vowel, the accent to be used can either be an acute accent (´) or a circumflex (^):</p>

<ul>

<li><strong>a becomes á</strong>, like for the verb <span style="font-style: italic;">achar</span>:

<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/9/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Pretérito Imperfeito do Subjuntivo</a>

<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eu

</span>achasse

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se tu

</span>achasses

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se ele

</span>achasse

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se nós

</span>achássemos

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se vós

</span>achásseis

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eles

</span>achassem

</span>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</li>

<li>

<p><strong>e can become either ê or é</strong>. It depends on whether the 3rd person plural of the preterite (from which we form the imperfect subjunctive) is regular or not. When it is regular, the e becomes an ê, like for the verb <span style="font-style: italic;">parecer</span>:</p>

<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/9/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Pretérito Imperfeito do Subjuntivo</a>

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<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eu

</span>parecesse

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se tu

</span>parecesses

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se ele

</span>parecesse

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se nós

</span>parecêssemos

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se vós

</span>parecêsseis

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eles

</span>parecessem

</span>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

<p>When it is irregular (estar &#8594; estiveram, ter &#8594; tiveram , poder &#8594; puderam, etc.) the e becomes an é, like for the verb <span style="font-style: italic;">estar</span>:</p>

<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/9/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Pretérito Imperfeito do Subjuntivo</a>

<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eu

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">estivesse<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se tu

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">estivesses<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se ele

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">estivesse<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se nós

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">estivéssemos<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se vós

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">estivésseis<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eles

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">estivessem<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</li>

<li>

<p><strong>i becomes í</strong>, like for the verb <span style="font-style: italic;">conseguir</span>:</p>

<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/9/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Pretérito Imperfeito do Subjuntivo</a>

<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eu

</span>conseguisse

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se tu

</span>conseguisses

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se ele

</span>conseguisse

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se nós

</span>conseguíssemos

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se vós

</span>conseguísseis

</span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eles

</span>conseguissem

</span>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</li>

<li>

<p><strong>o becomes ô</strong>, like for the verb <span style="font-style: italic;">ser</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">ir</span> (these are the only verbs in this category, and they have the same conjugation):</p>

<div class="study_conjugations_tense_container">

<a class="study_conjugations_tense_label box_label" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/9/" target="_blank" title="Open tense guide">Pretérito Imperfeito do Subjuntivo</a>

<div class="study_conjugations_conjugation conjugations_table two_columns">

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eu

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">fosse<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se tu

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">fosses<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se ele

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">fosse<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se nós

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">fôssemos<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms highlighted_conjugation">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se vós

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">fôsseis<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

<div class="study_conjugations_forms conjugation_forms">

<div class="conjugation_form">

<span><span class="study_conjugations_pronoun conjugation_pronoun">

se eles

</span><span class="irregular_conjugation" title="irregular conjugation">fossem<span class="irregularity_circle">&#9679;</span></span></span>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</div>

</li>

</ul>