Breakdown of Se o nevoeiro tivesse caído, o socorrista cujo carro avariou já não teria prevenido o percalço.
o carro
the car
ter
to have
cair
to fall
se
if
o nevoeiro
the fog
já não
no longer
avariar
to break down
cujo
whose (cujo, cuja, cujos, cujas)
prevenir
to prevent
o socorrista
the paramedic
o percalço
the mishap
Questions & Answers about Se o nevoeiro tivesse caído, o socorrista cujo carro avariou já não teria prevenido o percalço.
How does the third conditional structure work in this sentence?
This sentence expresses an impossible condition in the past because the fog did not actually descend. The 'if' clause uses the past perfect subjunctive (tivesse caído) to state the hypothetical past event, and the main clause uses the conditional perfect (teria prevenido) to describe the hypothetical past result.
Does the relative pronoun cujo agree with the paramedic (socorrista) or the car (carro)?
Why is já não placed before the entire compound verb teria prevenido?
In Portuguese, the phrase já não (meaning 'no longer' or 'not anymore') almost always goes immediately before the conjugated verb. In a compound tense like this, it must sit before the auxiliary verb (teria), and never between the auxiliary and the past participle.
Since the rest of the sentence is hypothetical, why is avariou in the simple past tense?
The breaking down of the car is a stated fact, not a hypothetical scenario. The relative clause cujo carro avariou identifies which specific paramedic we are talking about. Since the car actually did break down in reality, the standard indicative mood is used for this specific verb.
The English translation says the fog 'descended', but doesn't caído mean 'fallen'?
Yes, caído is the past participle of cair (to fall). In Portuguese, it is highly idiomatic to say that atmospheric conditions like fog (nevoeiro) or night (noite) 'fall', rather than using a direct translation of 'descend' (descer).
Learn Se o nevoeiro tivesse caído, o socorrista cujo carro avariou já não teria prevenido o percalço and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free