Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Se não quiseres comer todo o gelado, deixa metade para mim! - If you don’t want to eat all the ice cream, leave half for me!

The form quiseres is the future subjunctive of the verb querer for the second person singular (tu). In European Portuguese, conditional sentences that refer to a situation that might occur often use the future subjunctive. Here, se não quiseres means “if you don’t want”, expressing a condition that might happen in the future.

What is the role of the word se at the start of the sentence?

The word se is a conditional marker equivalent to “if” in English. It introduces a condition that must be met for the later part of the sentence (the command) to apply.

What does gelado mean in this context?

In Portugal, gelado is used as a noun meaning “ice cream.” Although the word can also be an adjective meaning “cold,” here it clearly refers to the popular frozen dessert.

Why is there no explicit subject pronoun (like tu) for the verbs quiseres and deixa?

In Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb endings already indicate the subject. Both quiseres and deixa clearly refer to “you” (informal singular), so including tu is unnecessary.

Why is the adjective todo used before o gelado, and how does gender agreement work here?

The adjective todo means “all” and it agrees in gender and number with gelado, which is a masculine singular noun. This agreement ensures that the sentence reads naturally and accurately as “eat all the ice cream.”

How would this sentence change if addressing someone formally (using você) instead of informally (using tu)?

When addressing someone formally with você, the verb forms change. The future subjunctive in the conditional clause becomes quiser (third person singular), and the imperative changes to deixe. The sentence would then read: “Se não quiser comer todo o gelado, deixe metade para mim!” This reflects the formal usage where você is treated like a third-person singular pronoun.