Question 1

Why are there two instances of se in this sentence? What does each one do?

Accepted Answer

The first se is the conjunction if, introducing the conditional clause. The second se is the reflexive pronoun of the pronominal verb atrasar-se (‘to be late’), indicating that the subject undergoes the action rather than delaying something else.

Question 2

What tense and mood is se atrasar? It looks like an infinitive, yet it refers to the future.

Accepted Answer

That’s the future subjunctive of atrasar-se (used after se for open future conditions). For third-person singular, the future subjunctive form coincides with the infinitive: “ele se atrasar.” It expresses “if the plane is delayed” at some future point.

Question 3

Why is the pronoun in mostrar-lhe attached to mostrar and not placed before it?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, clitic pronouns follow the verb (enclisis) in most affirmative and neutral contexts. Since nothing in “podemos mostrar-lhe” triggers placing the pronoun before the verb, we write mostrar-lhe. Proclisis (placing the pronoun before the verb) happens after negations or certain subordinators, which we don’t have here.

Question 4

Why do we say perto da cidade instead of perto de a cidade or perto do cidade?

Accepted Answer

After perto we use the preposition de, and de + a contracts to da. Because cidade is feminine singular, de + a cidade becomes da cidade. You also wouldn’t use do cidade (that’s de + o for masculine nouns).

Question 5

Could we say mostrar a floresta a ele or mostrar-te a floresta instead of mostrar-lhe a floresta?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Mostrar-lhe is the enclitic pronoun for ele/ela or formal você. Alternatively you can use the long form “mostrar a floresta a ele/ela.” For informal tu you’d use te: “mostrar-te a floresta,” though in European Portuguese formal você with lhe is common, and tu is regionally variable.

Question 6

Why is podemos mostrar in the present indicative instead of a future tense like mostraremos?

Accepted Answer

After a se + future-subjunctive clause, the result clause often uses the present indicative for realistic or forthcoming consequences. Podemos mostrar naturally conveys “we will be able to show” in this conditional context without needing the future indicative mostraremos.

Question 7

What’s the difference between atrasar and atrasar-se?

Accepted Answer

Atrasar (transitive) means “to delay something” and requires an object: “atrasar o comboio.” Atrasar-se (pronominal) means “to be delayed/be late,” turning it into an intransitive/reflexive construction where the subject experiences the delay.

Question 8

Could we use the present indicative after se instead of the future subjunctive here?

Accepted Answer

In informal or colloquial speech you might hear “se o avião atrasa.” However, European Portuguese prescribes the future subjunctive for conditions referring to the future, so se o avião se atrasar is the standard.

Question 9

Is there a nuance between perto de and próximo a/de?

Accepted Answer

Both mean “near,” but próximo a often suggests immediate adjacency (“right next to”), while perto de is more general (“in the vicinity of”). They’re largely interchangeable, though register and specific context can guide your choice.

Question 10

Why do we use the definite articles a before floresta and cidade here?

Accepted Answer

Portuguese commonly uses definite articles before concrete nouns even in general statements: a floresta, a cidade. We omit the article in certain set phrases or with proper names, but here you need a to say “the forest” and “the city.”

Se o avião se atrasar, podemos mostrar-lhe a floresta perto da cidade.

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