Breakdown of Se a escada estiver molhada por causa da chuva, use o elevador.
estar
to be
se
if
usar
to use
a escada
the staircase
molhado
wet
por causa de
because of
a chuva
the rain
o elevador
the elevator
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Questions & Answers about Se a escada estiver molhada por causa da chuva, use o elevador.
Why is estiver used instead of está or esteja?
Estiver is the future subjunctive of estar. In Portuguese, when a hypothesis is introduced with se and refers to a future or potential event, you use the future subjunctive. Present indicative está states a fact and present subjunctive esteja is used in other contexts, not in a se-clause for a future condition.
Why does the adjective end in -a as in molhada?
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. Escada is feminine singular, so the adjective takes the feminine singular form molhada. If the noun were masculine, it would be molhado.
What does por causa da chuva mean and how is it formed? Are there other ways to say the same thing?
Por causa da chuva means because of the rain. It combines por causa de with a chuva, and the preposition de and the article a contract into da. You can also say devido à chuva (more formal) or por conta da chuva (more colloquial).
Why is use the form of usar here? Could I use usa or usem instead?
Use is the affirmative imperative for você, formed from the present subjunctive. If you address someone as tu, the imperative would be usa. If addressing multiple people (vocês), it would be usem.
Who is being addressed by use o elevador? Is it você or tu?
The instruction implies você, the standard polite form in Brazilian Portuguese for general instructions. The tu form would be usa o elevador, which is regional and less common in most of Brazil.
Why are there definite articles a and o before escada and elevador? Could they be omitted?
Portuguese usually uses definite articles with singular countable nouns when speaking of specific items. Here you refer to the staircase and elevator in that building. Omitting the articles would sound unnatural in this context.
What is the comma doing after chuva? Is it mandatory?
When a subordinate se-clause comes first, you separate it from the main clause with a comma. If the main clause comes first, the comma is optional.
Can the sentence be inverted to start with use o elevador? Would it still be correct?
Yes. You can write Use o elevador se a escada estiver molhada por causa da chuva. When the conditional se-clause follows, the comma before it is not required though you may include it for clarity.