Breakdown of Ele age como se não fosse egoísta e não tivesse provocado esta mágoa.
ser
to be
e
and
não
not / no
ele
he
ter
to have
este
this (+ noun)
provocar
to cause, to provoke
agir
to act
como se
as if
a mágoa
the sorrow
egoísta
selfish
Questions & Answers about Ele age como se não fosse egoísta e não tivesse provocado esta mágoa.
Why does this sentence use two different subjunctive tenses after "como se"?
The phrase como se (as if) always triggers the subjunctive to show a hypothetical situation. We use the Imperfect Subjunctive (fosse) because not being selfish is a hypothetical ongoing state. We use the Past Perfect Subjunctive, or Mais-Que-Perfeito do Conjuntivo (tivesse provocado), because causing the sorrow is a hypothetical action that already happened in the past.
Could I use the conditional tense and say "como se não seria egoísta"?
No, that is a common mistake for English speakers. In Portuguese, the phrase como se is strictly followed by past subjunctive tenses like fosse or tivesse provocado. You cannot use the conditional tense directly after como se.
The verb form age comes from agir, so why isn't it spelled with a "j"?
The infinitive is agir (to act). In Portuguese, the letter "g" before "e" or "i" naturally makes a soft sound, so age keeps the "g". However, the first-person singular is highly irregular and becomes ajo (I act) with a "j" to maintain that same soft sound before the letter "o".
Does mágoa just mean sadness here?
It goes a bit deeper. While tristeza is general sadness, mágoa specifically implies a lingering emotional pain, hurt, sorrow, or even a sense of resentment caused by someone else's actions or words.
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