Question 1

Why does this sentence mix the past perfect subjunctive (tivéssemos programado) with the conditional (seria)?

Accepted Answer

This is a classic mixed conditional. We use the past perfect subjunctive (tivéssemos programado) for a hypothetical condition in the past (an action that did not happen). We then use the conditional (seria) because the result of that past action is happening right now in the present, which is emphasized by the word hoje.

Question 2

The lesson title mentions using the imperfect past tense instead of the conditional. How would that look in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

In everyday spoken Portuguese, it is extremely common to replace the conditional tense with the imperfect past. In this case, seria becomes era. The sentence would be: Se tivéssemos programado melhor o robô, ele era mais obediente hoje. Both versions mean the exact same thing, but the era version sounds much more natural in casual conversation.

Question 3

Could I put melhor at the end of the first clause, like Se tivéssemos programado o robô melhor?

Accepted Answer

You can, and people will perfectly understand you, but placing melhor immediately after the verb it modifies (programado) sounds much more idiomatic to native speakers. It closely links the action to how it was done before introducing the object (o robô).

Question 4

Is it mandatory to include the pronoun ele in the second half of the sentence?

Accepted Answer

It is not strictly mandatory, because the verb seria and the context already imply we are talking about the robot. However, including ele makes the sentence flow better and creates a clearer contrast between the subject of the first clause (we, who did the programming) and the subject of the second (it, the robot).

Se tivéssemos programado melhor o robô, ele seria mais obediente hoje.

Breakdown of Se tivéssemos programado melhor o robô, ele seria mais obediente hoje.

Questions & Answers about Se tivéssemos programado melhor o robô, ele seria mais obediente hoje.

Learn Se tivéssemos programado melhor o robô, ele seria mais obediente hoje and more in Portuguese