apontasses

Apontasses is the second-person singular imperfect subjunctive form of the Portuguese verb apontar, which means to point, indicate, or point out. This verb form appears in the pretérito imperfeito do conjuntivo (imperfect subjunctive) and is used in subordinate clauses to express hypothetical, uncertain, or contrary-to-fact situations in the past, often after words or expressions that set a conditional or doubtful context.

Conjugation in the imperfect subjunctive for apontar follows the regular pattern of first-conjugation verbs. The full paradigm in the imperfect subjunctive is: eu apontasse, tu apontasses, ele apontasse, nós apontássemos, vós apontásseis, eles apontassem. The form apontasses specifically corresponds to the second-person singular subject.

Usage and context: apontasses is commonly found in if-clauses (se clauses) and in dependent clauses that describe wishes, doubts, or hypothetical outcomes. Examples include: “Se tu apontasses o erro, poderíamos corrigi-lo,” or “Caso tu apontasses as falhas, a equipe revisaria o relatório.” In Brazilian Portuguese, the pronoun você is often used instead of tu, leading to a form like “Se você apontasse,” though the tu form apontasses remains grammatically correct in many dialects.

Relation to other verbal forms: apontas is the present indicative form for tu, while apontaste is the preterite indicative. Apontar is a regular -ar verb, and apontar’s imperfect subjunctive shares its stem with related verbs in the same conjugation class.

Etymology: apontar derives from the regular Portuguese verb class ending -ar, with roots common to many Romance languages, generally related to marking or making a reference point.