B2 · The subjunctive (conjuntivo)
The conjuntivo perfeito and the sequence of tenses
A main clause in the present and a subordinate clause that looks back.
At a glance
- Remember
- Present in front: tenha feito for what came before. Past in front: tivesse feito.
- Form
- que (eu) tenha chegadothat I have arrived
- Signal words
- espero que
- talvez
- é possível que
- não acredito que
- tenha
- Trap
- Wrong:Espero que chegaste bem.Right:Espero que tenhas chegado bem.
Your turn
5 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
stem (regular) tense marker auxiliary verb
| that I have arrived | que (eu) tenha chegado |
| that you have arrived | que (tu) tenhas chegado |
| that he / she has arrived, that you have arrived | que (ele / ela / você) tenha chegado |
| that we have arrived | que (nós) tenhamos chegado |
| that you have arrived, plural and formal | que (vós) tenhais chegado |
| that they have arrived, that you all have arrived | que (eles / elas / vocês) tenham chegado |
| main clause now, content at the same time | espero que venhas |
| main clause now, content earlier | espero que tenhas vindo |
| main clause in the past, content at the same time | esperava que viesses |
| main clause in the past, content earlier | esperava que tivesses vindo |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Conjuntivo perfeito: tenha plus participle.
Espero que tenhas gostado do jantar.I hope you enjoyed the dinner.
Main clause in the present, content at the same time: presente do conjuntivo.
Duvido que ele saiba a morada.I doubt he knows the address.
Main clause in the past: everything one step back.
Duvidava que ele soubesse a morada.I doubted he knew the address.
Earlier after a past main clause: tivesse plus participle.
Lamentei que não tivessem vindo.I was sorry that they hadn't come.
Example sentences
Talvez já tenham saído.Maybe they've already left.
Não acredito que ele tenha dito isso.I don't believe he said that.
É possível que me tenha enganado.It's possible that I was mistaken.
Espero que tenhas acabado até sexta.I hope you'll have finished by Friday.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
After « I hope » English simply says « you got there ». Portuguese requires the conjuntivo after espero que, even when the matter is already over. Espero que chegaste bem puts the indicative where it may not stand; and espero que chegues bem looks forward — that is what you say before somebody sets off, not afterwards.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Espero que tenhas chegado bem — « I hope you got there safely ». The trigger is in the present, the content already lies behind. That is what the conjuntivo perfeito is for: tenha, tenhas, tenhamos and so on, plus the participle.
The main clause decides which tense the subordinate clause takes. If it is in the present or the future, the presente do conjuntivo follows for what is simultaneous or later — espero que venhas — and the conjuntivo perfeito for what came before: espero que tenhas gostado.
If the main clause is in a past tense or the condicional, everything moves back one step: the imperfeito do conjuntivo for what is simultaneous — esperava que viesses — and tivesse plus participle for what came before: esperava que tivesses gostado. English makes the same backshift, from « I hope you enjoyed it » to « I hoped you had enjoyed it », only without a mood of its own for it.
The conjuntivo perfeito can also look forward, to something that should be done by a point in the future: espero que tenhas acabado até sexta — « I hope you'll have finished by Friday ».
How well do you know this topic?
This is filled in automatically after you practise. You can change it here at any time.
Next on the path: 123 · The reporting verbsBack to the learning path