escolhessem

Escolhessem is the third-person plural imperfect subjunctive form of the Portuguese verb escolher, meaning to choose. It is used in subordinate clauses to express hypothetical, contingent, or unreal actions in the past, often after verbs of wishing, fearing, or reporting speech, or in conditional clauses introduced by se or other conjunctions.

Formation and related forms: The imperfect subjunctive of -er verbs uses the endings -esse, -esses, -esse, -êssemos, -êsseis, -essem. With escolher, this yields: eu escolhesse, tu escolhesses, ele escolhesse, nós escolhêssemos, vós escolhêsseis, eles escolhessem. The plural form escolhessem specifically corresponds to the third-person plural. The present subjunctive is escolha/escolhas/escolha, while the imperfect singular forms are escolhesse, and the plural forms are escolhessem.

Usage and nuance: Escolhessem is commonly found in Brazilian and European Portuguese in contexts expressing past hypothetical or non-real actions. It often translates to English as “that they would choose” or “that they might choose” in dependent clauses. It frequently appears after verbs of saying, thinking, wishing, or after conditional structures, as in hypothetical past situations. Examples: Se eles escolhessem outra opção, o resultado seria diferente. A sugestão foi que eles escolhessem o candidato com mais experiência.

See also: Portuguese grammar, imperfect subjunctive, Portuguese verb endings, escolher. Etymology: escolher derives from Latin eligere; the imperfect subjunctive forms follow regular patterns for -er verbs in Portuguese.