Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Se misturo muito sal, arruino o prato.

Se is a conditional conjunction equivalent to “if” in English. It introduces the condition that, when met, leads to the result expressed in the main clause.

Why are both verbs, misturo and arruino, in the present indicative instead of using a conditional form like “would ruin”?

In Portuguese, when expressing general truths or habitual outcomes, both the “if” clause and the main clause often use the present indicative. This construction indicates that mixing too much salt naturally leads to ruining the dish, much like stating a rule.

Why is the subject pronoun (I) omitted in this sentence?

Portuguese commonly drops the subject pronoun because verb conjugations clearly indicate the subject. In this sentence, misturo and arruino are first person singular forms, so the “I” is understood without needing to be explicitly stated.

How should muito sal be interpreted here?

Muito sal literally means “a lot of salt.” In the sentence, it implies that there is an excessive or undesirable amount of salt. This excess is what causes the dish to be ruined.

How similar is this conditional structure to its English counterpart?

The structure closely mirrors English conditionals such as “If I mix too much salt, I ruin the dish.” Both languages use an “if” clause followed by a main clause expressing the outcome. However, Portuguese tends to omit the subject pronoun, relying on verb conjugations to convey who is performing the action.