Breakdown of Se o jogador chutasse bem, marcaria um golo fantástico.
um
a / an / some (all forms)
bem
well / fine
fantástico
fantastic
se
if
o jogador
the player
chutar
to kick
marcar
to score
o golo
the goal (sports)
Questions & Answers about Se o jogador chutasse bem, marcaria um golo fantástico.
Why does chutasse have a double 's' in it?
This is the imperfect subjunctive form of the verb chutar (to kick). In Portuguese, the imperfect subjunctive is used for hypothetical situations after se (if) and is easily recognized by this '-sse' ending. You form it by taking the third-person plural of the simple past tense (chutaram), dropping the '-ram', and adding the new endings.
Why use marcaria here? Could I use marcava instead?
marcaria is the conditional form meaning 'would score', which is the traditional grammar rule for the result part of a hypothetical 'if' sentence. However, in everyday spoken Portuguese in Portugal, you will very often hear the imperfect indicative used instead. Saying marcava um golo fantástico is completely correct and extremely common in conversation.
Is golo the standard word for 'goal'? I have seen 'gol' used elsewhere.
Yes, golo is the correct word in European Portuguese. gol is the Brazilian Portuguese equivalent. Since you are learning the Portuguese of Portugal, you should stick to golo.
The English translation says 'he would score', but there is no ele before marcaria. How do we know who is scoring?
Portuguese frequently drops subject pronouns when the context makes it obvious. Because the first half of the sentence talks about o jogador (the player), the verb marcaria naturally continues to refer to him. The verb's '-ia' ending confirms it is a third-person singular subject.
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