Se a crise continua, tens uma alternativa?

Questions & Answers about Se a crise continua, tens uma alternativa?

Why do we use the present tense continua for something that might happen in the future?
In Portuguese, when you want to express a real possibility (often called a first conditional sentence), you can use se (if) followed by the present indicative tense. So, se a crise continua translates exactly to "if the crisis continues" and expresses an open, likely possibility.
Why isn't there a word for "do" in the question part (tens uma alternativa)?
Unlike English, Portuguese doesn't use helper words like "do" or "does" to make a question. You simply take the normal statement—in this case, tens uma alternativa (you have an alternative)—and add a question mark at the end, raising your voice at the end when speaking.
Why does it just say tens instead of tu tens?
The verb form tens already tells us exactly who is the subject: tu (informal "you"). In Portuguese, it is very common to drop the subject pronoun when the verb ending makes it obvious. Adding tu wouldn't be wrong, but leaving it out sounds more natural.
How do I know if words ending in -e like crise are masculine or feminine?
Nouns ending in -e can be either masculine or feminine, so you often have to memorize them with their article. However, as a helpful pattern, many Portuguese words ending in -se that map to English words ending in "-sis" are feminine! Examples include a crise (the crisis), a análise (the analysis), and a base (the basis).

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