Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Se a embalagem estiver danificada, deves trocar o produto na loja. - If the packaging is damaged, you should exchange the product at the store.

Estiver is the present subjunctive form of estar. In Portuguese, subjunctive is used in conditional clauses (introduced by se, meaning if) to express uncertainty or a hypothetical situation. Although the English equivalent is similar to is, the subjunctive mood is required in this context.

What does deves mean, and why is it used in this sentence?

Deves is the second-person singular form of dever and translates to should in English. It denotes an obligation or recommendation. Additionally, it reflects the European Portuguese usage of the informal second-person singular, unlike Brazilian Portuguese, which would typically use você deve.

Why is trocar in its infinitive form rather than being conjugated?

After modal verbs like dever (in this case, deves), the following verb is kept in the infinitive form. This construction, common in Portuguese, is similar to how in English you say "you should exchange" instead of "you should exchanges".

What does na loja mean and how is it formed?

Na loja means in the store. It is a contraction of the preposition em (in) and the definite article a loja (the store). Such contractions (e.g., no from em + o, na from em + a) are typical in Portuguese.

How is the overall sentence structured?

The sentence is a conditional statement with two parts: • The if-clause: Se a embalagem estiver danificada (If the packaging is damaged) • The main clause: deves trocar o produto na loja (you should exchange the product in the store) This structure is similar to English conditional sentences where an uncertain condition leads to a suggested action.