Breakdown of Se eu fosse um gigante, guardava o tesouro.
eu
I
ser
to be
um
a / an / some (all forms)
guardar
to keep
se
if
o gigante
the giant
o tesouro
the treasure
Questions & Answers about Se eu fosse um gigante, guardava o tesouro.
Wait, doesn't fosse come from the verb ir (to go)?
Fosse is actually the Past Imperfect Subjunctive form for both ser (to be) and ir (to go)! In this sentence, context tells us it means "were" (from ser) because saying "If I went a giant" makes no sense.
Why do we use the Past Subjunctive (fosse) here instead of a normal past tense like era?
The word se (if) sets up a hypothetical or unreal situation: you are not actually a giant. When you talk about imaginary "if" scenarios, Portuguese requires the Pretérito Imperfeito do Conjuntivo.
The translation says "I would keep", but guardava is the Past Imperfect tense. Shouldn't it be the Conditional tense (guardaria)?
You absolutely can use the Conditional (guardaria) here. However, in everyday spoken Portuguese in Portugal, it is much more common to replace the Conditional with the Past Imperfect (guardava) for the result part of an "if" sentence. Both are correct.
How do I figure out the base for an irregular verb like ser to make forms like fosse?
The best trick for the Pretérito Imperfeito do Conjuntivo is to start with the simple past (Pretérito Perfeito). The "they" form of ser is foram. Drop the -ram to get your base (fo-), and then add the subjunctive endings (-sse, -sses, -sse, etc.).
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