Se o técnico não devolver a senha, teremos um problema.

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Breakdown of Se o técnico não devolver a senha, teremos um problema.

• não: not
• ter: to have
• um: a
• se: if
• problema: problem
• devolver: to return
• técnico: technician
• senha: password

Questions & Answers about Se o técnico não devolver a senha, teremos um problema.

Why does the sentence start with Se?

Se is the Portuguese word for if. It introduces a conditional clause (protasis) just like if does in English.

Why is the verb form devolver used here instead of devolva or devolve?

After Se to express a future condition, Portuguese uses the future subjunctive. For regular -er verbs, the 3rd person singular future subjunctive form is identical to the infinitive, hence devolver.

• devolva is present subjunctive (used for doubts, wishes, less-likely conditions)
• devolve is present indicative (used for habitual actions or general truths)

Why is não placed before devolver?

In Portuguese, simple negation is formed by placing não immediately before the verb: não devolver means not return.

Why is there an article o before técnico, whereas in English we say “If the technician” without an article?

Portuguese generally requires a definite article before professions or roles when referring to a specific person. So you say o técnico (the technician). English often omits the in similar contexts, but Portuguese does not.

What does senha mean here?

Senha can mean password, PIN, access code, or even ticket number in a queue. In most IT contexts, senha = password.

Why is there a comma after senha?

Because the conditional clause (“Se o técnico não devolver a senha”) comes first. In Portuguese, when the Se-clause precedes the main clause, you separate them with a comma. If you flip the order, the comma becomes optional.

What tense is teremos, and why is it used?

Teremos is the future indicative of ter (“to have”). It expresses what will happen if the condition is met: we will have a problem.

Why use um problema instead of o problema?

Um problema is indefinite: a problem, not a specific one you’ve already mentioned. O problema would be the problem, implying you know exactly which problem.

Can I invert the clauses and drop the comma?

Yes. You can say:
Teremos um problema se o técnico não devolver a senha.
When the main clause comes first, the comma before the Se-clause is optional.

Could I use another word instead of Se?

Yes. For example:

• Caso o técnico não devolver a senha, teremos um problema. (“Caso” = “in case”)
• A não ser que o técnico devolva a senha, teremos um problema. (“A não ser que” = “unless”, and note it triggers the present subjunctive devolva.)

Can I say vamos ter um problema instead of teremos um problema?

Absolutely. Vamos ter um problema is more colloquial (literally “we’re going to have a problem”), while teremos is the simple future (“we will have a problem”).

Why is the subject pronoun nós omitted before teremos?

Portuguese is a “pro-drop” language: subject pronouns are often dropped because the verb ending already indicates person and number. Adding nós is not wrong, but redundant: Nós teremos is not used (you’d say Nós teremos only in very emphatic cases).