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Se perderes o rato, ainda podes usar o touchpad.

Se perderes o rato, ainda podes usar o touchpad.
If you lose the mouse, you can still use the touchpad.
FromLesson 31inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)
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Questions & Answers about Se perderes o rato, ainda podes usar o touchpad.

What does rato mean in this sentence?
In European Portuguese, rato literally means “mouse.” In a computing context it refers to the computer mouse rather than the animal. So o rato = the mouse device.
Why is perderes used after se instead of the present indicative perdes?
Portuguese uses the future subjunctive after se when talking about possible future events (If you lose…). The future subjunctive of perder for tu is perderes, not the present indicative perdes.
How is the future subjunctive of perder formed for tu?

To form the future subjunctive of perder: • Take the third-person plural of the simple past: perderam
• Drop -ram, leaving perde
• Add the tu ending -res → perderes

Other persons use similar endings (eu perder, ele perder, nós perdermos, etc.).

Why isn’t tu written before perderes and podes?
Portuguese is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns like tu are often omitted because the verb endings already indicate the subject. Both perderes and podes clearly signal second-person singular, so tu is unnecessary.
Why is there no definite article before touchpad, but there is one before rato?
While o rato takes a definite article, English technical borrowings like touchpad often appear without an article in colloquial European Portuguese when referring to the device in general. It’s also correct to say usar o touchpad, but dropping o is common.
How would a Brazilian Portuguese speaker express this sentence?

Brazilian Portuguese typically uses você instead of tu, the present indicative instead of the future subjunctive, and mouse instead of rato. For example:
Se você perder o mouse, ainda pode usar o touchpad.

Is touchpad an English word? Are there Portuguese alternatives?
Yes, touchpad is an English borrowing widely adopted in both European and Brazilian Portuguese. A more literal Portuguese term is painel tátil, but most speakers prefer touchpad in everyday use.
How can I make this sentence more formal?

To address someone formally in European Portuguese, use o senhor or a senhora and third-person verb forms. For example:
Se o senhor perder o rato, ainda pode usar o touchpad.

More from this lesson

o tecladoEu uso o teclado novo para escrever mais rápido.todas aso póEu não consigo ler com pó nas páginas.O Pedro limpa o teclado todas as noites para o manter livre de pó.o fioO rato não funciona bem, por isso comprei um rato sem fios.
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