Se o espinafre estiver fresco, eu vou cozinhar arroz para o jantar.

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Breakdown of Se o espinafre estiver fresco, eu vou cozinhar arroz para o jantar.

• estar: to be
• ir: to go (future auxiliary)
• se: if

Questions & Answers about Se o espinafre estiver fresco, eu vou cozinhar arroz para o jantar.

Why is estiver used instead of está?

Because after se when Portuguese talks about a future possibility or condition, it usually uses the future subjunctive.

So:

• Se o espinafre estiver fresco... = If the spinach is fresh... / If the spinach turns out to be fresh...

Using está here would sound wrong for this future-condition meaning. In English, we use the present after if, but in Portuguese, this kind of sentence normally calls for the future subjunctive.

What form is estiver exactly?

Estiver is the future subjunctive form of estar.

Here is the pattern:

• se eu estiver
• se você/ele/ela estiver
• se nós estivermos
• se vocês/eles/elas estiverem

This tense is very common after words like:

• se = if
• quando = when
• assim que = as soon as
• logo que = as soon as

when the sentence refers to the future.

Why does Portuguese use the subjunctive after se here?