"Eu pensei que tinha havido algo especial."

Translation: I thought that there had been something special.

[ChrisGull]

While it is a strange (and philosophical) sentence, I think my answer "I thought I had been something special" should have been accepted, since past imperfect for eu and ele/ela are the same! Anybody concur?

[Danmoller]

I'd concur for other verbs. But "haver" cannot do this.
Only a few specific cases can take "haver" with a subject.

Your sentence: "Eu pensei que (eu) tinha sido algo especial"

Even so, it's really not good to omit that eu. This sentence has many possible meanings with other persons, being "it" probably the first thing to come up in mind instead of "I".

[raf_iggy]

Suggested Improvement:
I thought there had been something special (between us). Very clear in English!
Eu pensei que tenha havido algo especial (entre nós). Portuguese é correcto? Native English speaker....

[Danmoller]

If the verb were "tinha", corretíssimo. (fixed comment, thanks emeyr)

In fact, that's exactly the first thing I thought when reading the sentence.

[deactivated user]

Daniel: re: raf_iggy's use of present perfect subjunctive (tenha havido). Can it be used after the main verb is in the preterit? I thought that it had to be introduced by a verb in the present tense. Confused!

[Danmoller]

Ops!!!

Mistake of mine. It must be "tinha".

"Eu pensei que tinha havido algo especial (entre nós)".

[IanGwyther]

Can someone explain where the there is in the portuguese or what I should think of as there here.

[deactivated user]

haver = there is/are

past participle: havido

tinha havido = there had been

[IanGwyther]

Thanks think the suggestion confused me when trying to answer. Also have been trying to revise my Italian.

[ju_oliva]

No one says "Eu pensei que tinha havido algo especial". It's too formal. Usually says "Eu pensei que fosse algo especial" or "Pensei que houve algo (de) especial"

[Jamoffs]

I'm br, and think I would say: "Eu pensei que tinha/havia/houvesse algo (de) especial" or "Eu pensei que tinha havido/tido algo (de) especial".
I think these two types of sentences represent slightly different situations, and it's not really (or entirely) a matter of "formality". :)

[Bmf982359]

How would you say: I thought that I had been something special...

(large ego!)

[paulotaviodr]

what's wrong with "I thought there had happened something special."???

[deactivated user]

More natural English: "I thought that something special had happened."

[Danmoller]

To happen is an action. To be is to exist.

Eu pensei que tinha acontecido algo especial (happened)

[raf_iggy]

Is "havia havido" correct?

[Danmoller]

It's quite weird, but I can't say it's wrong.

[JaneilsonHD]

Even being a Brazilian i'm not sure about that, but I believe isn't wrong, but Iwould change the 'Quite' on Danmoller coment into a 'Very' to the Weird.

[MatteoFeli]

i would like to know too

[reno300]

That's unnatural English.

[paulotaviodr]

But they do some unnatural Portuguese sentences too...

[Jamoffs]

1)"Eu pensei que lá tinha tido/havido algo (de) especial" (?).
2)"I thought that had had something special (there)"/"Eu pensei que tinha tido/havido algo (de) especial (lá)" (??).
Foi o que eu pensei./That's what I thought. :P