Breakdown of Se eu perder o marcador de página, vou esquecer em que página parei de ler.
eu
I
ir
to go (future auxiliary)
ler
to read
se
if
Questions & Answers about Se eu perder o marcador de página, vou esquecer em que página parei de ler.
Why is it Se eu perder and not Se eu perco?
Because after se when Portuguese talks about a possible future situation, it normally uses the future subjunctive.
So:
- Se eu perder... = If I lose...
- Se eu perco... is not the normal choice for this future meaning
This is very common in Brazilian Portuguese:
- Se eu chegar cedo, te ligo.
- Se chover, a gente fica em casa.
- Se eu perder o marcador de página, vou esquecer...
A useful detail: for many verbs, the future subjunctive looks the same as the infinitive, so perder here is not the infinitive in function, even though it looks the same.
Why is eu included in Se eu perder? Can it be omitted?
Yes, it can be omitted, because Portuguese verbs usually show the subject clearly.
So both are possible:
Including eu can make the sentence a little clearer or more emphatic. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, speakers often include subject pronouns more than in European Portuguese, but omission is still very common.
Why does the sentence use vou esquecer instead of esquecerei?