Compound Tenses – Subjunctive Mood and Nominal Verb Forms

Earlier in this unit, we focused on tempos compostoscompound tenses Slow audio Play audio in the indicative and conditional moods. Now we’ll cover the compound tenses in the modo conjuntivosubjunctive mode , as well as formas nominaisnominal forms Slow audio Play audio Noun, Plural, Feminine .

Don’t worry, the basic formula is still the same 😉: auxiliary verb ter + past participle of the main verb.

Modo Conjuntivo

As a reminder, the conjuntivo indicates the possible, the desired, the hypothetical, and even the unreal. If you want to review first, we learned about the three main simple tenses for this mood in these units:

• Present Subjunctive (presente do conjuntivo)
• Imperfect Subjunctive (pretérito imperfeito do conjuntivo)
• Future Subjunctive (futuro do conjuntivo)

Now we’ll cover the following compound tenses:

• pretérito perfeito composto
• pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
• futuro composto

Before we begin, here’s a quick overview of what these might look like in the conjuntivo, using the past participle escritowritten Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle as an example:

• pretérito perfeito composto do conjuntivo: Pode ser que ele tenha escrito...It is possible that he wrote... (ter in the subjunctive present + past participle)
• pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto do conjuntivo: Se tivesse escrito...If I had written... (ter in the imperfect subjunctive + past participle)
• futuro composto do conjuntivo: Quando tiver escrito...When I have written... (ter in the future subjunctive + past participle)

Let’s take a closer look, one-by-one…

Pretérito Perfeito Composto

For this tense, the verb ter is conjugated in the presente do conjuntivo (present subjunctive) before adding the past participle.
Esperemos que tenham gostado!We hope you enjoyed it! Slow audio Play audio
Espero que tenhas tido um bom NatalI hope you had a good Christmas
Não acho que tenhamos feito muito barulhoI don't think we made a lot of noise
This verb tense is used to express our wishes or thoughts about a past event, as demonstrated by the examples above. You’ll notice that quethat Slow audio Play audio Pronoun typically appears before the verbs.

Pretérito Mais-que-Perfeito Composto

In this one, the auxiliary verb ter is conjugated in the pretérito imperfeito do conjuntivo (imperfect subjunctive).
Se tivesses prestado atenção, não tinhas tido o acidenteIf you had paid attention, you would not have had the accident
Se ao menos não tivessem deitado fora os papéis...If only they hadn't thrown out the papers...
We use this tense to indicate a hypothetical situation that could have taken place in the past, if it were for some condition.
Accordingly, the pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto do conjuntivo appears in conditional clauses followed by the conjunction seif Slow audio Play audio Conjunction .
It’s possible to use this tense when you want to give a sort of snarky comment, when the other person should’ve done something they didn’t. For example:
Tivesses chegado a horas...You should've been on time...

Futuro Composto

Lastly, in the futuro composto do conjuntivo, we put the verb ter in the futuro do conjuntivo (future subjunctive).
Vou ter contigo quando tiver acabado de filmarI'll meet you when I have finished filming
Se não me tiver despachado a essa hora, eu aviso-teIf I have not finished by that time, I'll let you know
Eu digo-te alguma coisa quando tiver comprado o carroI will let you know when I have bought the car
The futuro composto do conjuntivo is used in conditional and temporal clauses, initiated by the conjunctions seif Slow audio Play audio Conjunction and quandowhen Slow audio Play audio Adverb , respectively.

Formas Nominais

Nominal forms are basically verb forms that play a similar role as nouns, adverbs, and adjectives. Unlike other verb forms, they do not indicate verb tense, mood, or person on their own. Instead, they depend on context (i.e. the surrounding conjugated verbs) to relay that information.
The 3 nominal verb forms in Portuguese are:

• infinitivo – infinitive
• gerúndio – gerund
• particípio passado – past participle

As we cover compound tenses involving nominal forms below, we’ll be using ter (impersonal infinitive), ter/teres/termos/terem (personal infinitive), tendo (gerund), and, of course, past participles.
Before we begin, here’s a quick overview of examples, using the past participle escritowritten Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle as an example:

• infinitivo impessoal composto: ter escritoto have written
• infinitivo pessoal composto: teres escritoyou having written
• gerúndio composto: tendo escritohaving written

Now let’s look at each one closer, as we need a bit more context to differentiate these!

Infinitivo Impessoal Composto

The compound form of the infinitivo impessoal (impersonal infinitive) expresses a completed action or fact (something in the past). In European Portuguese, it’s when the subject is not clearly defined, or when it is the same as the subject of the main clause. It often appears with verbs that make use of prepositions (such as de and por), or with phrasal verbs.
Não me lembro de ter chegado a casaI don't remember getting home, I don't remember having arrived home
Sinto-me mal por ter dito aquilo ao MárioI feel bad for having said that to Mario
Não queria ter acordado tardeI didn't want to wake up late, I didn't want to have woken up late
To form the infinitivo impessoal composto simply use ter + past participle.

Infinitivo Pessoal Composto

The infinitivo pessoal (personal infinitive), unlike the impessoal, is the only nominal form that can be conjugated according to number and gender.
Like the infinito impessoal composto, it’s also used to indicate an action that took place in the past. We can use it when the subject is clearly defined and/or when it’s someone other than the subject of the main clause.
Já foi bom eu ter chegado a horasIt's a good thing I arrived on time
Não me lembro de teres chegado a casaI don't remember you having arrived home
Ele ficou chateado por termos contado a verdadeHe was upset that we told the truth
As a reminder, the verb endings for ter in the personal infinitive are:

• eu ter
• tu teres
• ele/ela/você ter
• nós termos
• eles/elas/vocês terem

To create the compound tense, as usual, you just add the past participle.

Gerúndio Composto

The compound form of the gerund refers to the past, and it can indicate either a sustained action that isn’t happening anymore, or a unique incident. It appears in gerundive clauses, which can have a relation of either anteriority or posteriority (i.e. something that happened before or after).
Ela trabalhou como atriz, tendo participado em dezenas de filmes e sériesShe worked as an actress, having participated in dozens of films and series
Eu escorreguei no gelo, tendo batido com a cabeça na cadeiraI slipped on the ice and hit my head on the chair
Eles ficaram sem emprego, tendo mais tarde emigrado para o CanadáThey were out of work, having later emigrated to Canada
As you can see, the compound gerund is just tendo + past participle of the main verb.