Breakdown of Se o técnico não aparecer amanhã de manhã, vou ligar para ele.
não
not
amanhã
tomorrow
ir
to go (future auxiliary)
se
if
Questions & Answers about Se o técnico não aparecer amanhã de manhã, vou ligar para ele.
Why is it Se o técnico não aparecer... and not Se o técnico não aparece...?
Because after se when you are talking about a possible future situation, Portuguese normally uses the future subjunctive.
So:
- Se o técnico não aparecer... = If the technician doesn’t show up...
- aparecer here is the future subjunctive form
This is very common in Portuguese:
- Se ele vier... = If he comes...
- Se chover... = If it rains...
- Se eu tiver tempo... = If I have time...
For many regular verbs, the future subjunctive looks the same as the infinitive, which is why aparecer looks unchanged.
Using não aparece here would sound wrong in standard Portuguese for this kind of future condition.
What exactly does aparecer mean here?
Here, aparecer means something like to show up, to appear, or to turn up.
In this sentence, it does not mean literally to appear visually. It means the technician is expected to come, and maybe he won’t arrive as planned.
So in this context:
- o técnico aparecer = the technician shows up / turns up
This is a very natural verb in Brazilian Portuguese for people who are expected somewhere.
Why is there an article in o técnico? Why not just técnico?