Questions & Answers about Se eu perder a folha, vou pedir outra.
Why is it se eu perder instead of se eu perco?
Because after se meaning if, Portuguese often uses the future subjunctive when talking about a possible future situation.
So:
- se eu perder = if I lose
- se eu perco is not the normal form here
This is one of the most important patterns in Portuguese:
- Se eu tiver tempo, vou. = If I have time, I’ll go.
- Se ela chegar cedo, saímos. = If she arrives early, we’ll leave.
With perder, the future subjunctive form for eu is perder.
Why does perder look the same as the infinitive?
For many verbs, the future subjunctive looks exactly like the personal infinitive or the dictionary form in some persons.
With perder:
- infinitive: perder
- future subjunctive, eu: perder
So even though it looks like the basic verb form, here it is functioning as future subjunctive, not just an infinitive.
This is very common:
- se eu falar
- se eu comer
- se eu abrir
Why is eu included? Could you just say ?