Past unreal conditions: se eu tivesse sabido
To imagine a different past, Portuguese uses se + tivesse + participle and teria + participle (or tinha + participle in speech): Se eu tivesse sabido, teria ido.
| pattern | example | English |
|---|---|---|
| se + tivesse + part., teria + part. | Se tivesse estudado, teria passado. | If I had studied, I would have passed. |
| …, tinha + part. (speech) | Se você tivesse ligado, eu tinha ido. | …, I would have gone. |
| mixed: past → present | Se tivesse dormido, não estaria cansado. | If I had slept, I wouldn’t be tired. |
| deveria / devia ter + part. | Devia ter avisado. | I should have told you. |
| poderia / podia ter + part. | Você podia ter caído! | You could have fallen! |
Points to watch
- The participle after ter never agrees: Se ela tivesse chegado…
- Regret and reproach (“should have”, “could have”) use dever / poder + ter + participle.
- In speech the simple se soubesse often replaces se tivesse sabido when the meaning is clear.
- Do not use the subjunctive in the result: teria ido, not tivesse ido.
Examples
- Se tivéssemos saído mais cedo, não teríamos perdido o voo.If we had left earlier, we wouldn’t have missed the flight.
- Eu teria ajudado se você tivesse pedido.I would have helped if you had asked.
- Você devia ter visto a cara dele!You should have seen his face!
- Se ela não tivesse ligado, eu tinha esquecido.If she hadn’t called, I would have forgotten.
- Ele podia ter se machucado.He could have got hurt.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Se eu teria sabido, teria vindo.✓ Se eu tivesse sabido, teria vindo.The se-clause takes tivesse + participle; American English “if I would have known” makes teria sound possible, but it is not.
- ✗ Eu deveria vir ontem.✓ Eu deveria ter vindo ontem.English “should have come” refers to the past, which Portuguese marks with ter + participle; deveria vir sounds like a plan for the future.
- ✗ Você pôde morrer!✓ Você poderia ter morrido!“Could have” for something that did not happen is poderia (or podia) ter + participle; pôde means you were able to and did.
- ✗ Se ela tivesse chegada a tempo, teria visto.✓ Se ela tivesse chegado a tempo, teria visto.After ter the participle stays in the masculine singular; feminine agreement only happens with ser and estar.
- ✗ Se eu tivesse sabido, eu tivesse vindo.✓ Se eu tivesse sabido, eu teria vindo.The subjunctive belongs only in the se-clause; the result clause needs teria (or tinha in speech).