Se tiveres apenas um segundo, confirma o alarme da piscina antes de irmos nadar.

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Questions & Answers about Se tiveres apenas um segundo, confirma o alarme da piscina antes de irmos nadar.

What does tiveres mean in this sentence?
tiveres is the 2nd person singular future subjunctive of the verb ter (“to have”). In Portuguese, conditional clauses introduced by se often take the future subjunctive. Here it literally means “if you have” (only) a second.
Why use the future subjunctive after se instead of the present indicative?
Portuguese grammar prefers the future subjunctive after se for hypothetical or potential conditions (e.g. se tiveres, se fores, se fizeres). The present indicative (se tens) can sound more immediate or colloquial, but the future subjunctive is the norm in neutral/written register.
Could I say Se tens apenas um segundo instead of Se tiveres apenas um segundo?
Yes, in very informal contexts you might hear Se tens um segundo..., but it’s less standard. Using se tiveres feels more polite and indicates that you’re talking about a hypothetical moment.
Why is there no tu in Se tiveres apenas um segundo?
Portuguese often drops the subject pronoun because the verb ending already signals the person (here 2nd singular). You could include it (Se tu tiveres…), but in spoken and written Portuguese it’s usually omitted.
What grammatical form is confirma in confirma o alarme?
confirma is the 2nd person singular affirmative imperative of confirmar (“to confirm/check”). It’s a direct instruction to “you” (tu).
How would this sentence change if I use você instead of tu?

Using the formal/3rd person singular pronoun você, you’d say:
Se você tiver apenas um segundo, confirme o alarme da piscina antes de irmos nadar.
Note tiver (no ­-es) and confirme (formal imperative).

Why do we say o alarme da piscina instead of just alarme piscina?
Portuguese usually requires a definite article before nouns. da is a contraction of de + a (“of the”), so o alarme da piscina literally means “the alarm of the pool.”
Could I say alarme de piscina rather than alarme da piscina?
You could, but alarme de piscina is generic (“a pool alarm”), while o alarme da piscina refers to a specific alarm you both know about.
What is the role of antes de irmos nadar and why is irmos used?
After antes de (“before”) Portuguese can take an infinitive. When you want to specify the subject, you use the personal infinitive: irmos is the 1st person plural form of ir, meaning “before we go.”
Can we simply say antes de ir nadar or antes de nadarmos?
Yes. antes de ir nadar uses the impersonal infinitive (no specified subject). antes de nadarmos uses the personal infinitive of nadar with nós (“before we swim”). All three variants are correct; you choose based on nuance.
What nuance does ir nadar express compared to just nadar?
ir nadar emphasizes the action of going somewhere to swim (an outing/activity), whereas nadar focuses purely on the act of swimming.
What does apenas mean and can I replace it with ?
apenas means “only” or “just.” You can replace it with in casual speech: Se tiveres só um segundo… Both are correct; apenas is slightly more formal.