Se ganhares o concurso, receberás uma medalha de prata.

of

Breakdown of Se ganhares o concurso, receberás uma medalha de prata.

• uma: a
• se: if
• receber: to receive

Questions & Answers about Se ganhares o concurso, receberás uma medalha de prata.

Why is ganhares in the subjunctive mood and not just ganhar or ganhas?

ganhares is the 2nd person singular present subjunctive of ganhar. In Portuguese, the present subjunctive is typically used in the protasis (the if clause) to express a condition, even if it’s likely to happen. This corresponds to if you win in English. Using ganhas would be the indicative mood, which is less common after se in European Portuguese, and ganhar is the infinitive, which cannot agree with tu.

What tense is receberás, and why is there an accent on the á?

receberás is the simple future indicative, 2nd person singular. The accent on the á marks the stressed vowel and distinguishes this future form from the subjunctive form receberas, which is unaccented. It corresponds to you will receive in English.

Why do we omit the subject pronoun tu here?

Portuguese is a pro-drop language: the verb endings (-es in ganhares, -ás in receberás) clearly indicate the subject (tu). Therefore the pronoun can be omitted unless needed for emphasis or clarity.

Why is there a comma after the if clause? Could it be left out?