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Se chover, não poderás estender os lençóis no estendal.

Se chover, não poderás estender os lençóis no estendal.
If it rains, you won’t be able to hang the sheets on the clothesline.
FromLesson 26inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Se chover, não poderás estender os lençóis no estendal.

em
in
não
not
se
if
poder
to be able
chover
to rain
estender
to hang
o estendal
the clothesline
o lençol
the sheet

Questions & Answers about Se chover, não poderás estender os lençóis no estendal.

Why is the verb chover in this sentence uninflected, and shouldn’t it be chova or include a subject like “it”?
Portuguese uses the future subjunctive after se to talk about a possible future event. For chover, the future subjunctive form is identical to the infinitive (chover), so you don’t see a change. Also, chover is an impersonal verb: it never takes a subject pronoun (there is no Portuguese equivalent of English “it rains”), so you simply say Se chover.
What is the function of se in Se chover?
se is the conditional conjunction meaning if. It introduces a condition that must be met for the main clause to occur.
Why is the main clause in the future tense (não poderás) instead of the present (não podes)? Could I use não podes?
Using the simple future (poderás) highlights that this inability refers to a future situation. You can say Se chover, não podes estender… to imply a general rule, but não poderás is more precise and formal for a specific future condition.
Can I invert the clauses and say Não poderás estender os lençóis no estendal se chover?

Yes. Portuguese allows the conditional clause at the end. The comma before se becomes optional when the condition follows the main clause:
• Não poderás estender os lençóis no estendal se chover.

What does estender os lençóis no estendal mean?
  • estender: “to hang” or “to spread out”
  • lençóis: “bed sheets”
  • estendal: “clothesline” or “drying rack”
    So it means to hang the sheets on the clothesline.
Is estendal the same as varal?
In Portugal, estendal is the usual word for a clothesline or drying rack. In Brazil, people more commonly say varal, though both are understood in either country.
Why are lençóis plural here? Could you say um lençol?
Since bed sheets typically come in a set (bottom sheet, top sheet), Portuguese normally uses the plural os lençóis when talking about changing or hanging bedding. You can say um lençol if you mean a single sheet, but in context you almost always hear the plural.
Could I replace estender with another verb, like pendurar or pôr?

Yes. All are possible in everyday speech:

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