Si llegamos tarde al vagón, quizá tengamos que hacer todo el trayecto de pie.

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Breakdown of Si llegamos tarde al vagón, quizá tengamos que hacer todo el trayecto de pie.

• al: to the
• tarde: late
• hacer: to do

Questions & Answers about Si llegamos tarde al vagón, quizá tengamos que hacer todo el trayecto de pie.

Why is it Si llegamos and not Si lleguemos?

Because after si in a real or likely condition, Spanish normally uses the present indicative, not the subjunctive.

So:

• Si llegamos tarde... = If we arrive late...

This is one of the most important Spanish patterns to remember:

• Si tengo tiempo, voy.
• Si llueve, nos quedamos en casa.
• Si llegamos tarde al vagón, quizá tengamos que...

English often uses a future idea here, but Spanish still uses the present after si.

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Why is it tengamos que instead of tenemos que?

Because quizá can trigger the subjunctive when the speaker is expressing uncertainty or possibility.

So:

• quizá tengamos que = we may have to / perhaps we’ll have to

Compare:

• Quizá tenemos que esperar. → possible, but sounds more factual or less doubtful
• Quizá tengamos que esperar. → more uncertainty, more tentative

Both indicative and subjunctive can appear after quizá, but the subjunctive is very common when the speaker is not sure.

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What does tener que mean here?