Breakdown of Se o carro avariar, eu levo-o à oficina.
eu
I
o carro
the car
se
if
levar
to take
o
it
a oficina
the workshop
avariar
to break down
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Questions & Answers about Se o carro avariar, eu levo-o à oficina.
What does the verb avariar mean in this sentence?
Avariar means "to break down" or "to suffer a malfunction." In this context, it indicates that the car might experience a mechanical failure.
Why is the object pronoun o attached to the end of levo (as in levo-o)?
In European Portuguese, particularly in affirmative sentences, it is common to place object pronouns after the conjugated verb (a phenomenon known as enclisis). Here, o refers back to o carro ("the car"), which is why it appears attached to levo.
What is the purpose of the contraction à before oficina?
À is the result of combining the preposition a (meaning "to") with the feminine definite article a. Since oficina ("workshop" or "repair shop") is a feminine noun, the correct form is à oficina.
Why is the present indicative used in the condition clause even though the sentence refers to a future possibility?
Portuguese often uses the present indicative in conditional sentences to indicate future possibilities. Even though the event (the car breaking down) is hypothetical and future-oriented, avariar is in the present form in the if-clause and levo is also present, yet the overall meaning clearly signals a future action.
How does this conditional sentence structure in Portuguese differ from the way we form similar conditionals in English?
In English, the if-clause typically uses the present simple ("If the car breaks down") but it is paired with a future form in the main clause ("I will take it to the workshop"). In Portuguese, both clauses use the present indicative to convey a future possibility, and additionally, the placement of the pronoun (as in levo-o) follows different syntactic rules compared to English.