Breakdown of Caso precises da sebenta, havias de comprá-la com antecedência.
comprar
to buy
precisar de
to need
o
him/it (m)
haver de
shall / will / ought to / should
caso
in case
com antecedência
in advance
a sebenta
the course pack
Questions & Answers about Caso precises da sebenta, havias de comprá-la com antecedência.
Why use havias de instead of a word like deverias to say "you ought to"?
Using the imperfect tense of haver de followed by an infinitive is a very natural, idiomatic way in Portugal to give strong advice, a recommendation, or a mild reproach. It means the same thing as deverias (you should / you ought to) but is highly common in everyday conversation.
Why is the verb precisar in the subjunctive mood (precises) here?
The conjunction caso (in case / if) introduces a hypothetical condition and strictly triggers the subjunctive mood. Since we are talking about a possible present or future need, we use the Present Subjunctive form precises. If the sentence used se (if) instead, it would require the Future Subjunctive: se precisares.
Why does comprar change to comprá-la with an accent mark?
When attaching a direct object pronoun like a (meaning "it", replacing the feminine a sebenta) to an infinitive verb ending in -r, you drop the -r and change the pronoun to -la. We add an acute accent (á) to the verb to maintain the natural spoken stress on the final syllable that the infinitive comprar originally had.
What exactly is a sebenta?
It is a specific cultural term used in Portuguese academic settings. A sebenta is a bound course pack, a compilation of a professor's lecture notes, or study materials that students typically buy at a university copy center.
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