Breakdown of Se a crise começa amanhã, qual é a estratégia?
ser
to be
começar
to begin
amanhã
tomorrow
qual
which / what (which one)
Questions & Answers about Se a crise começa amanhã, qual é a estratégia?
Why is começa in the present tense if the sentence is talking about tomorrow?
In Portuguese, just like in English, we use the present tense (começa) after se (if) to talk about a likely future event. This is the first conditional. It sets up a realistic situation: if this happens, then that happens.
Why does the sentence use qual for 'what' instead of o que?
We use qual before the verb ser (to be) when asking to identify a specific thing, like choosing one strategy out of many possibilities. You will often see qual é used for 'what is' when asking about names, phone numbers, or plans. O que é is mainly used when asking for the definition of a word (like 'What is a strategy?').
Are words ending in '-e' like crise always feminine?
What is the infinitive form of começa?
The infinitive is começar (to start or to begin). It is a regular '-ar' verb in the present tense, conjugated here in the third-person singular (he/she/it) to match a crise (the crisis).