Breakdown of Se o advogado disser isso, a defesa perde o caso.
isso
that
perder
to lose
dizer
to say
se
if
o caso
the case, the matter
o advogado
the lawyer
a defesa
the defense
Questions & Answers about Se o advogado disser isso, a defesa perde o caso.
Why is the verb form disser instead of dizer?
Disser is the Future Subjunctive form of dizer (to say). As you are learning in this lesson, highly irregular verbs take their Future Subjunctive stem from the past tense. The 'they' form in the past is disseram. Drop the -am and you get the stem disser.
Why do we use the Future Subjunctive here when English uses the present tense ('says')?
In Portuguese, whenever you use se (if) to talk about a condition that might happen in the future, you must use the Future Subjunctive. Even though English uses the present tense, Portuguese requires this mood to show that the event is an uncertain future possibility.
Why does the second half of the sentence use the present tense (perde) instead of the future tense?
It is very common to pair an 'if' clause in the Future Subjunctive with a main clause in the Present Indicative. Using the present tense perde (loses) instead of a future tense makes the consequence sound immediate and absolutely certain.
Why does the sentence use isso instead of aquilo for the word 'that'?
Isso refers to something closely related to the conversation or something just mentioned. In this context, isso points directly to the specific statement the lawyer might make, whereas aquilo would imply something much further away in time or space.
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