Breakdown of Se tu coças assim, o teu braço vai inchar.
tu
you
teu
your (informal, m/f/pl: teu, tua, teus, tuas)
ir
to go
assim
like this
o braço
the arm
se
if
coçar
to scratch (an itch)
inchar
to swell
Questions & Answers about Se tu coças assim, o teu braço vai inchar.
Why do we use the present tense coças after se instead of the future subjunctive?
While se (if) often triggers the future subjunctive for hypothetical future events, we use the present indicative (coças) when referring to an action happening right now or a general truth. Since the person is currently scratching, the present tense fits perfectly.
How could we incorporate fartar-se de to emphasize that the person is scratching excessively?
You could change the first half to: Se te fartas de coçar assim... The expression fartar-se de followed by an infinitive is used to describe doing an action a lot or to excess. In this context, it translates nicely to 'If you scratch yourself so much like that...'
Is it common to drop the reflexive pronoun and say coças instead of te coças?
Yes, in casual spoken Portuguese. Technically, coçar-se means to scratch oneself, while the non-reflexive coçar usually takes a direct object (like explicitly saying coças o braço). However, in everyday speech, people often drop the pronoun when the context makes it completely obvious.
Why does this sentence use o teu braço instead of just saying o braço?
Portuguese often drops the possessive pronoun for body parts (for example, saying vai inchar-te o braço). However, using the possessive (o teu braço) is also perfectly correct and is frequently used to add a bit of emphasis, directly warning the listener about their specific arm.
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