Breakdown of Se a marcação falhar, eu telefono para a clínica e verifico a hora outra vez.
Questions & Answers about Se a marcação falhar, eu telefono para a clínica e verifico a hora outra vez.
Portuguese often uses the present indicative to talk about the future, especially in if-clauses and in everyday speech.
In this sentence, the idea is:
- Se a marcação falhar – If the appointment fails (in the future)
- eu telefono… e verifico… – I’ll call… and (I’ll) check…
Using the simple future (telefonarei, verificarei) is grammatically correct but sounds more formal or more distant in everyday European Portuguese. The present tense here is the most natural choice in normal conversation.
Grammatically, falhar here is the future subjunctive form of the verb falhar.
For falhar, the future subjunctive is:
- (quando / se) eu falhar
- (quando / se) tu falhares
- (quando / se) ele / ela / você falhar
- (quando / se) nós falharmos
- (quando / se) eles / elas / vocês falharem
Notice that in the eu and ele/ela forms, falhar looks identical to the infinitive, but in context (after se, referring to a future possibility), it is understood as the future subjunctive. That’s why the sentence is:
- Se a marcação falhar, not Se a marcação falha or falhará.
Se introduces a condition (something that may or may not happen).
So Se a marcação falhar means If the appointment falls through / doesn’t work out.
Quando would introduce a time reference (something expected to happen).
Quando a marcação falhar would sound like When the appointment fails—as if you already expect it to fail, which is not the usual meaning here.
So se is the natural choice because the failure is only a possibility.
In Portuguese, a definite article is used much more often than in English.
- a marcação = the appointment / the booking (a specific one already known in the context)
- marcação without an article would feel incomplete here; you almost always need a in this kind of sentence.
So Se a marcação falhar corresponds to English If the appointment falls through, not If appointment falls through.
In this context, marcação does not mean “marking” (like a pen mark).
In European Portuguese, marcação commonly means:
- an appointment (at a doctor, clinic, hairdresser, etc.)
- a booking or reservation (for example, at a restaurant, hotel, or activity)
So a marcação here is the appointment/booking at the clinic.
The subject pronoun eu is not necessary; Portuguese is a null-subject language.
So both are correct:
- Se a marcação falhar, telefono para a clínica…
- Se a marcação falhar, eu telefono para a clínica…
Adding eu usually adds emphasis or contrast, for example:
- Se a marcação falhar, eu telefono, não tu.
(If the appointment fails, I will call, not you.)
In neutral, everyday speech, many speakers would simply drop eu here and say telefono.
Both verbs can mean to call (by phone):
- telefonar (para alguém / para um sítio) – a bit more formal or “standard”
- ligar (para alguém / para um sítio) – very common and colloquial
In European Portuguese, both are widely understood, but:
- In written or slightly more formal language, telefonar is very natural:
Eu telefono para a clínica. - In everyday speech, many people would say:
Eu ligo para a clínica.
The structure with para stays the same: telefonar para / ligar para + place or person.
With telefonar and ligar meaning “to call (by phone)”, the most common pattern is:
- telefonar para + lugar/pessoa
ligar para + lugar/pessoa
So:
- telefono para a clínica = I call the clinic (by phone)
- ligo para a clínica = same meaning, more colloquial
You sometimes see telefonar a alguém when the person is the indirect object (especially in more formal language, often with pronouns: telefonei‑lhe), but with a place like a clínica, para is the natural option in everyday European Portuguese: telefonar para a clínica.
Yes, both word orders are grammatically correct:
- verifico a hora outra vez
- verifico outra vez a hora
Both mean I check the time again.
In practice:
- verifico a hora outra vez sounds very natural and is probably more common in speech.
- verifico outra vez a hora is also fine and may appear in both speech and writing.
There is no change in meaning here; it’s mainly a matter of rhythm and personal preference.
All three can translate as again, but there are some preferences:
- outra vez – very common, neutral, used all the time in everyday speech.
- de novo – also again, sometimes with a nuance closer to from the beginning / all over again, depending on context.
- novamente – more formal or written style.
In this sentence:
- verifico a hora outra vez is the most natural in ordinary European Portuguese.
- verifico a hora de novo also works.
- verifico a hora novamente sounds a bit more formal or bookish.
Yes, you can say:
- Se a marcação falhar, vou telefonar para a clínica…
This uses ir + infinitive (vou telefonar) and also refers to the future, like English I’m going to call.
Nuances:
- telefono – present tense with future meaning; very common in conditional sentences and normal speech.
- vou telefonar – slightly more explicit about the future, close to English I’m going to call, often used when you want to mark a planned or intended action.
Both are natural in European Portuguese, and the difference here is small.
Falhar literally means to fail / to go wrong / to not work out.
With a marcação, it can cover several possibilities:
- The system didn’t record it properly.
- Someone at the clinic made a mistake.
- Something went wrong and the appointment doesn’t happen as planned.
It does not necessarily mean a formal cancellation (cancelar a marcação), but rather that the appointment “falls through” / doesn’t come off for some reason. That’s why you then need to call the clinic and check the time again.