Question 1

Why is the conditional seria used here instead of a past tense like era?

Accepted Answer

This is the evidential conditional, which is exactly what this lesson covers. It is used to report unconfirmed information, rumors, or claims without guaranteeing they are true. In English, we usually express this with adverbs like "allegedly" or "supposedly" rather than a verb tense. So, seria here means "it allegedly was" rather than "it would be".

Question 2

Does the word óvni stand for something, similar to UFO?

Accepted Answer

Yes, óvni (or ÓVNI) is an acronym for Objeto Voador Não Identificado (Unidentified Flying Object). Because it is pronounced as a single word rather than spelled out letter by letter, it is treated as a regular noun and takes an accent mark on the first syllable to match Portuguese stress rules.

Question 3

Could I use mas instead of só que in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could use mas (but), but só que is very common in everyday Portuguese. It translates best to "except that" or "only," and it is perfect for introducing a sudden contrast, a catch, or a twist to the situation you just described.

Question 4

Why does the sentence use the imperfect queriam instead of the preterite quiseram?

Accepted Answer

Using the imperfect queriam sets the background scene, describing an ongoing state of desire in the past. If you used the preterite quiseram, it would sound like a sudden, isolated decision made at a specific point in time rather than a continuous intention.

Eles queriam ver o suposto óvni, só que seria apenas um avião.

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