Se eu não fizer uma pausa curta, perco o foco rapidamente.

If I don’t take a short break, I lose my focus quickly.

Breakdown of Se eu não fizer uma pausa curta, perco o foco rapidamente.

• eu: I
• perder: to lose
• não: not
• se: if
• rapidamente: quickly
• curto: short
• o foco: the focus
• fazer uma pausa: to take a break

Questions & Answers about Se eu não fizer uma pausa curta, perco o foco rapidamente.

What grammatical form is fizer, and why is it used here instead of faço?

Fizer is the present subjunctive form of fazer for eu.

• faço = present indicative (I do / I make)
• fizer = present subjunctive (if I do / if I make)

In Portuguese, after se introducing a real condition about the future, you normally use the present subjunctive:

• Se eu não fizer uma pausa curta, perco o foco rapidamente.
  If I don’t take a short break, I quickly lose focus.

Structure:

• se
  • present subjunctive (fizer)
• main clause in present/future/imperative (perco here)

Saying ✗ Se eu não faço uma pausa curta… is normally avoided in European Portuguese in this conditional sense; it sounds odd or non‑standard in this context.

Why is perco in the present indicative and not a future form like perderei?

Perco is the present indicative of perder (eu perco = I lose).

In Portuguese, the present tense is very often used for:

• general truths
• habits
• things that usually happen when a condition is met

So the sentence means roughly:

• Whenever / If I don’t take a short break, I (tend to) lose focus quickly.

Using the simple future (perderei) would sound more like a specific future prediction, less like a habitual pattern:

• Se eu não fizer uma pausa curta, perderei o foco rapidamente.
  = If I don’t take a short break (on that particular occasion), I will lose focus quickly.

Both are correct, but perco is more natural for a general, habitual statement.

Can I say Se eu não faço uma pausa curta, perco o foco rapidamente instead?

For this meaning, no, not really (especially in European Portuguese).

• Se eu não faço… with the indicative is not the normal way to introduce this kind of conditional in standard European Portuguese.
• The expected form is Se eu não fizer… with the subjunctive.

Se eu não faço… can sound:

• ungrammatical,
• or, at best, very colloquial / regional, and still odd to many speakers.

Stick with Se eu não fizer….

Why is there a comma before perco?

Because the if‑clause (conditional clause) comes first:

• Se eu não fizer uma pausa curta, → dependent (conditional) clause
• perco o foco rapidamente. → main clause

In Portuguese, when a dependent clause comes before the main clause, you normally use a comma to separate them.

If you invert the order, you usually drop the comma:

• Perco o foco rapidamente se eu não fizer uma pausa curta.

Can I leave out eu and say Se não fizer uma pausa curta, perco o foco rapidamente?

Yes.

Portuguese is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person.

• Se eu não fizer… and Se não fizer… are both correct.
• Here, the verb form fizer already tells you it’s eu, so eu is optional.

Including eu adds a bit of emphasis on I; leaving it out sounds slightly more neutral and is very common.

Why is it uma pausa curta and not um pausa curto?

Because pausa is a feminine noun in Portuguese:

• a pausa (the pause)
• uma pausa (a pause)

Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun:

• feminine singular: curta
• masculine singular: curto

So:

• uma pausa curta = correct
• ✗ um pausa curto = incorrect (wrong gender)

Why does the adjective come after the noun: pausa curta and not curta pausa?

In Portuguese, the normal order is:

• noun + adjective

So:

• pausa curta (short break) is the default, neutral phrase.

You can sometimes put adjectives before the noun to add a special nuance (more literary, emotional, or idiomatic), but with pausa, pausa curta is by far the normal choice.
Curta pausa would sound unusual or poetic, not everyday speech.

Could I say fazer um pequeno intervalo instead of fazer uma pausa curta?

Yes, that’s possible, with a slight change in feel:

• fazer uma pausa curta
  – very straightforward, natural
  – pausa is common in both speech and writing

• fazer um pequeno intervalo
  – also correct
  – intervalo is often used for breaks between activities (a class, a meeting, a performance, etc.)
  – sounds a bit more like a scheduled break or a short intermission

In everyday speech about concentration, fazer uma pausa (curta) is probably the more typical wording.

Why is the article uma used? Could I just say Se eu não fizer pausa curta…?

You need the article here; ✗ Se eu não fizer pausa curta… sounds wrong.

Some common expression patterns in Portuguese:

• fazer uma pausa = to take a break
• fazer um intervalo = to have a break, intermission

These usually take an indefinite article (um / uma) in the singular.
So you should say:

• Se eu não fizer uma pausa curta, … ✅
  not
• ✗ Se eu não fizer pausa curta, … ❌

Why is the adverb rapidamente at the end? Can it go somewhere else?

The most natural position here is at the end:

• perco o foco rapidamente

Other possible placements:

• perco rapidamente o foco – grammatically fine, a bit less usual but still correct.
• rapidamente perco o foco – also possible; it gives a bit more emphasis on rapidamente and can sound a bit more formal or stylistic.

So you have some flexibility, but verb + object + adverb (as in the original) is the most typical order.

What is the difference between rapidamente and depressa here?

Both can refer to doing something quickly, but:

• rapidamente
  – more neutral, slightly more formal or “standard”
  – directly related to the adjective rápido

• depressa
  – very common in speech
  – can be a bit more colloquial

In this sentence, both are possible:

• perco o foco rapidamente
• perco o foco depressa

Neither is wrong; rapidamente fits well in written or neutral contexts, depressa is extremely common in everyday speech.

Is perder o foco natural in European Portuguese, or is there a more idiomatic option?

Perder o foco is understood and used in European Portuguese, especially in more recent or informal language, influenced by English and Brazilian Portuguese.

However, very idiomatic alternatives in European Portuguese include:

• perder a concentração (to lose concentration)
• deixar de estar concentrado (to stop being focused)

So you might also hear:

• Se eu não fizer uma pausa curta, perco a concentração rapidamente.

All are acceptable; perder a concentração is slightly more traditional/neutral EP, perder o foco is completely understandable and increasingly common.

How would I express a more hypothetical situation, like If I didn’t take a short break, I would lose focus quickly?

Then you’d use the imperfect subjunctive in the if‑clause and the conditional in the main clause:

• Se eu não fizesse uma pausa curta, perderia o foco rapidamente.

Structure:

• se
  • imperfect subjunctive (fizesse)
• conditional in the main clause (perderia)

This describes a hypothetical or less real situation, whereas the original sentence with fizer / perco describes a general, real, habitual pattern.