Miraría mi reflejo en el espejo si no estuviera tan empañado.

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Breakdown of Miraría mi reflejo en el espejo si no estuviera tan empañado.

• en: in
• mi: my
• estar: to be

Questions & Answers about Miraría mi reflejo en el espejo si no estuviera tan empañado.

Why is miraría used here instead of a simple past or future form?

Miraría is the first-person singular of the conditional tense, equivalent to “I would look.” It expresses what you would do under a hypothetical circumstance. A simple past (e.g. miré) would state a completed action, and a future (e.g. miraré) a planned one—neither fits this “if-then” scenario.

Why is estuviera used after si instead of estaría or estuvo?

In Spanish, unreal or hypothetical conditions in the present/future use the imperfect subjunctive in the si-clause (here estuviera) and the conditional in the main clause (miraría). You don’t use the conditional (estaría) or the preterite (estuvo) after si in this type of sentence.

What does tan do in tan empañado?

Tan means “so” or “very,” intensifying the adjective that follows. Tan empañado translates as “so fogged up” or “so steamy.”

Could I say si no estuviese tan empañado instead of si no estuviera tan empañado?

Yes. Estuviese is an alternative form of the imperfect subjunctive with identical meaning. In Latin America, estuviera is more common, but both are correct.