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Se ignorares o risco, poderás ter problemas.

Se ignorares o risco, poderás ter problemas.
If you ignore the risk, you may have problems.
FromLesson 27inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Se ignorares o risco, poderás ter problemas.

tu
you
ter
to have
se
if
o
the
ignorar
to ignore
o problema
the problem
poder
may
o risco
the risk

Questions & Answers about Se ignorares o risco, poderás ter problemas.

What is the function of se in this sentence?
Se is a conditional conjunction meaning if, used to introduce a hypothesis (the subordinate clause) upon which the main clause depends.
Why is ignorares used instead of ignoras (present tense) or ignore (present subjunctive)?
In Portuguese the future subjunctive is mandatory after se when the condition refers to a future or hypothetical event. The present indicative (ignoras) implies a habitual or general action, and the present subjunctive (ignore) is reserved for other connectors (e.g. embora, mesmo que), not typically after se in an if-then structure.
How do you form the future subjunctive ignorares from the infinitive ignorar?
Take the third-person plural of the preterite indicative (ignoraram), remove -ram to get the stem ignora-, then add the personal ending -es for the second-person singular (tu), yielding ignorares.
What person and number is ignorares, and how can you tell?
Ignorares is the second-person singular (tu) in the future subjunctive. The ending -es is the standard marker for tu in that tense in European Portuguese.
How would the sentence change if addressed to você instead of tu?

You switch to third-person singular forms: Se ignorar o risco, poderá ter problemas.

What does poderás ter mean literally, and what person/tense is poderás?
Poderás is the second-person singular future indicative of poder, literally you will be able to. Combined with ter, poderás ter means you may have or you might have.
Why use poderás ter problemas instead of simply terás problemas?
The periphrasis poder + infinitive introduces possibility or potentiality (you may have problems), whereas terás problemas (simple future) states a more certain outcome (you will have problems).
When else is the future subjunctive used in Portuguese?
It appears after conjunctions indicating future or hypothetical time—se (if), quando (when), assim que (as soon as), logo que (as soon as), enquanto (in certain contexts)—always for actions or states yet to occur or purely hypothetical.
Could a learner ever use the present indicative ignoras in informal speech here?
Although some colloquial or regional speakers might say Se ignoras o risco, terás problemas, this is not standard in European Portuguese for a future condition. It’s safest and most correct to use the future subjunctive.
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