Breakdown of Si la conexión fuera más estable, podríamos ver el directo sin pausa ni cortes.
Questions & Answers about Si la conexión fuera más estable, podríamos ver el directo sin pausa ni cortes.
Because this is an unreal / hypothetical situation in the present or future.
In Spanish, for unreal or contrary‑to‑fact conditions about the present or future, the usual pattern is:
- Si + imperfect subjunctive, conditional
- Si la conexión fuera más estable, podríamos ver el directo…
This corresponds to English:
- If the connection were more stable, we could watch the livestream…
If the speaker thought the situation was realistic and likely, they would use indicative, not subjunctive:
- Si la conexión es estable, podemos ver el directo sin pausas ni cortes.
- If the connection is stable, we can watch the livestream without pauses or cuts.
So:
- fuera = unreal/hypothetical (imperfect subjunctive)
- era / es = real or assumed‑real situation (indicative)
They belong to different condition structures and are not interchangeable in this pattern.
Correct unreal conditional patterns are:
Si la conexión fuera más estable, podríamos ver el directo.
- If the connection were more stable, we could watch the livestream.
Si la conexión fuera más estable, lo veríamos.
- If the connection were more stable, we would watch it.
The standard patterns are:
- si + imperfect subjunctive, conditional
- fuera = imperfect subjunctive of ser
- podríamos / veríamos = conditional of poder / ver
Using sería in the si‑clause (e.g. Si la conexión sería más estable…) is incorrect in standard Spanish. The conditional goes in the result clause, not in the si‑clause, for this type of hypothetical sentence.
Yes, you can say:
- Si la conexión fuese más estable, podríamos ver el directo…
Both fuera and fuese are correct imperfect subjunctive forms of ser. The difference is mostly stylistic and regional:
- fuera is more frequent in everyday speech.
- fuese often sounds a bit more formal or literary.
Meaning and grammar are the same. In conversation in Spain, fuera is generally more natural.
Because podríamos is the conditional form, and it matches the hypothetical meaning of the si‑clause.
Pattern:
- Si + imperfect subjunctive, conditional
- Si la conexión fuera más estable, podríamos ver el directo…
This is like English:
- If the connection were more stable, we could watch the livestream…
If you changed podríamos to podemos or veremos, you’d be changing the meaning:
Si la conexión es más estable, podemos ver el directo…
- If the connection is more stable, we can watch the livestream… (more real/likely)
Si la conexión es más estable, veremos el directo…
- If the connection is more stable, we will watch the livestream… (a plan or prediction)
So podríamos expresses potential / hypothetical possibility, not a simple factual consequence.
No. si does not always trigger the subjunctive. It depends on whether the condition is seen as real/likely or unreal/hypothetical.
Real or likely conditions → indicative
- Si la conexión es estable, vemos el directo sin problemas.
- If the connection is stable, we watch the livestream without problems.
- Si la conexión es estable, vemos el directo sin problemas.
Unreal / hypothetical conditions → imperfect subjunctive + conditional
- Si la conexión fuera más estable, podríamos ver el directo…
- If the connection were more stable, we could watch the livestream…
- Si la conexión fuera más estable, podríamos ver el directo…
Unreal past conditions → pluperfect subjunctive + conditional perfect
- Si la conexión hubiera sido más estable, habríamos visto el directo entero.
- If the connection had been more stable, we would have watched the whole livestream.
- Si la conexión hubiera sido más estable, habríamos visto el directo entero.
So si can be followed by either indicative or subjunctive, depending on the type of condition.
In Spanish, every noun has a grammatical gender, and it’s not always predictable from the meaning.
- conexión ends in ‑ión, and almost all nouns ending in ‑ión are feminine:
- la conexión, la canción, la decisión, la televisión…
That’s why the article is la:
- la conexión (feminine singular)
- una conexión
- esta conexión
There’s no special reason beyond vocabulary and patterns of the language—you just need to memorize the gender with the noun: la conexión.
In Spain, el directo is a very common colloquial way to say “the livestream” or “the live broadcast”, especially for things like Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, etc.
- ver el directo = to watch the livestream / the live show
- ¿Has visto el directo de ayer? = Did you see yesterday’s livestream?
You also find en directo, which is an adverbial phrase meaning “live” (not recorded):
- Lo están emitiendo en directo. = They’re broadcasting it live.
- Conectamos en directo con nuestro corresponsal… = We go live to our correspondent…
So:
- el directo → the (specific) live stream / live show
- en directo → live (as opposed to recorded)
In many Latin American varieties, you’re more likely to hear:
- la transmisión en vivo
- el en vivo (informal, in some communities online) but in Spain, el directo is very natural.
They express different ideas:
ver el directo
→ Watch the livestream (a specific live show someone is doing).
Here, el directo is a noun phrase: the live broadcast.ver algo en directo
→ Watch something live (as it’s happening).
Here, en directo is an adverbial expression modifying the verb.
Compare:
Podríamos ver el directo.
We could watch the livestream (the program itself).Podríamos ver el concierto en directo.
We could watch the concert live.
In your sentence, the speaker is talking about “the livestream” as a thing, so el directo is used as a noun.
In negative contexts with sin, Spanish very often uses the pair ni… ni… where English might use “and” or just list items.
- sin pausa ni cortes
Literally: without pause nor cuts
Natural English: without pauses or cuts / without any pauses or interruptions
Using ni instead of y:
- Emphasizes the total absence of both things.
- Feels more idiomatic and natural in this structure.
You could technically say sin pausa y cortes, but it sounds odd and non‑idiomatic. The usual patterns are:
- sin X ni Y
- sin pausas ni cortes
- sin ruido ni distracciones
That’s mostly a stylistic choice; both could be singular or plural:
- sin pausa ni cortes
- sin pausas ni cortes
- sin pausa ni corte
All of these are grammatically possible, but some sound more natural than others.
In practice:
- cortes is often plural because we usually get several little cuts in the signal.
- pausa in singular can be understood in a generic sense (without any pausing, without pauses).
Many speakers would probably say sin pausas ni cortes, making both plural. The version in your sentence is still perfectly natural; Spanish is quite flexible here.
Yes, you can say:
- Si la conexión fuera estable, podríamos ver el directo…
Difference in nuance:
- más estable = more stable (than it is now) → implies it’s already somewhat stable but not enough.
- estable = simply stable → implies it’s not stable at all, and you wish it were.
So:
- With más, you’re imagining an improvement from the current level.
- Without más, you’re just imagining that it is (fully) stable, no comparison implied.
podríamos is the conditional of poder and usually corresponds to English “could” or “would be able to”:
- Podríamos ver el directo
= We could watch the livestream.
= We would be able to watch the livestream.
The nuance:
- It expresses possibility / ability that depends on the condition:
- Only if the connection were more stable.
- It sounds less definite than veríamos (“we would watch”), which sounds more like a firm outcome.
Compare:
Si la conexión fuera más estable, podríamos ver el directo.
If the connection were more stable, we could watch the livestream. (It would be possible.)Si la conexión fuera más estable, veríamos el directo.
If the connection were more stable, we would watch the livestream. (We definitely would do it.)
So podríamos focuses on possibility/ability, not on a firm decision.