Breakdown of Apesar da rebelião, se tivéssemos desligado a energia, o robô não seria tão hostil.
ser
to be
não
not / no
ter
to have
tão
as / so
o
him/it (m)
desligar
to switch off
se
if
apesar de
despite
a energia
the energy
o robô
the robot
hostil
hostile
a rebelião
the rebellion
Questions & Answers about Apesar da rebelião, se tivéssemos desligado a energia, o robô não seria tão hostil.
Why do we use tivéssemos desligado in the first part but seria in the second part?
This is a mixed conditional sentence. The first part, se tivéssemos desligado (if we had turned off), uses the past perfect subjunctive because it is a hypothetical action in the past. The second part uses the conditional, seria (would be), because it describes the hypothetical result happening right now in the present.
Can I use the imperfect tense instead of the conditional for the result clause?
Yes! In everyday spoken Portuguese, it is extremely common to replace the conditional with the imperfect tense. You could absolutely say o robô não era tão hostil, and it would be perfectly natural and mean the exact same thing.
Why do we use Apesar da instead of Embora here?
Apesar de (which merges with the article a to become da) is a preposition used directly before a noun, like rebelião. If you wanted to use Embora (even though), you would have to follow it with a verb in the subjunctive, such as: Embora houvesse uma rebelião (Even though there was a rebellion).
Why is "power" translated as energia and not poder?
In Portuguese, energia (specifically energia elétrica) is the correct word for electrical power or electricity. The word poder refers to authority, political power, or personal ability. Turning off a robot's poder would sound like stripping it of its legal authority rather than unplugging it!
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