Breakdown of Se tu te esforçasses, este sacrifício não era necessário.
ser
to be
tu
you
não
not / no
este
this (este, esta, estes, estas)
se
if
necessário
necessary
esforçar-se
to make an effort
o sacrifício
the sacrifice
Questions & Answers about Se tu te esforçasses, este sacrifício não era necessário.
Why does the verb esforçasses have that double 's' ending?
That is the Imperfect Subjunctive tense for the tu form. We use this tense after se (if) to describe a hypothetical or unreal condition. A great way to spot the Imperfect Subjunctive is its trademark -sse- spelling.
Why is the reflexive pronoun te placed before the verb esforçasses?
The conjunction se (if) acts as a magnet word. In Portuguese, magnet words pull the pronoun to the front of the verb. Conjunctions like se, que, and como always trigger this rule.
The translation says 'would not be necessary'. Why does the sentence use era (was) instead of seria (would be)?
In everyday spoken Portuguese, people frequently replace the Conditional tense (seria) with the Imperfect Indicative (era) in the result half of an 'if' sentence. It is easier to say and sounds very natural, though using seria is also completely correct.
Since we are learning about até, how could I add it here to mean 'Even if you made an effort'?
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