Breakdown of Si tuviera más tiempo, editaría todos mis apuntes como si fueran un libro de ejercicios.
Questions & Answers about Si tuviera más tiempo, editaría todos mis apuntes como si fueran un libro de ejercicios.
Because this is an unreal / hypothetical condition in the present or future.
- In Spanish, for unreal situations like “If I had more time, I would…”, the standard pattern is:
si + imperfect subjunctive + conditional
So:
- Si tuviera más tiempo, editaría…
= If I had more time, I would edit… (but I don’t have it)
Using si tengo would mean a real, possible condition:
- Si tengo tiempo, editaré / edito mis apuntes.
= If I have time, I’ll edit / I edit my notes. (real possibility)
Si tendría is almost always considered incorrect in standard Spanish in this type of sentence. Native speakers normally avoid si + conditional in this structure.
Both tuviera and fueran are in the imperfect subjunctive (also called past subjunctive):
They are used because:
Si tuviera más tiempo…
The si-clause expresses an unreal or hypothetical condition → imperfect subjunctive.…como si fueran un libro de ejercicios.
Como si almost always triggers the subjunctive because it introduces a comparison with something that is not real (your notes are not actually a workbook).
So the sentence uses the imperfect subjunctive twice, for two different hypothetical ideas.