Breakdown of Eu não teria desistido da engenharia.
eu
I
não
not / no
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
ter
to have
desistir
to give up
a engenharia
the engineering
Questions & Answers about Eu não teria desistido da engenharia.
How do we form the compound conditional seen in teria desistido?
It is formed by using the conditional tense of the auxiliary verb ter (which is teria for eu) plus the past participle of the main verb, desistido. Together they express the past hypothetical action of having given up.
Why does the sentence use da engenharia instead of just de engenharia?
The verb desistir requires the preposition de. Furthermore, European Portuguese generally uses definite articles with fields of study and broad concepts. So the preposition de combines with the feminine singular article a to become da.
Can we put não between the two verbs, similar to the English structure would not have?
No, in Portuguese compound tenses, the auxiliary verb (teria) and the past participle (desistido) are never separated. The negative word não must always go before the conjugated auxiliary verb.
What is the difference in meaning between teria desistido and the simple conditional desistiria?
The compound conditional teria desistido refers specifically to an unreal or hypothetical action in the past. If you used the simple conditional não desistiria, it would mean you would not give up right now or in the future.
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