Breakdown of Si el prototipo funcionara, sería el mejor aparato.
ser
to be
si
if
mejor
better; best (the best)
funcionar
to work, to function
el prototipo
the prototype
el aparato
the device
Questions & Answers about Si el prototipo funcionara, sería el mejor aparato.
Why do we use funcionara instead of the past tense funcionaba if it translates to "worked"?
Even though English uses the simple past ("worked"), this is a hypothetical situation about the present or future. In Spanish, we must use the imperfect subjunctive (funcionara) after si (if) to show that we are imagining something that isn't currently true.
Could I say si el prototipo funcionase instead?
Yes, absolutely! The imperfect subjunctive has two sets of valid endings: -ra and -se. Both funcionara and funcionase are perfectly correct and mean the exact same thing, though the -ra form is usually more common in spoken Spanish.
Why is the verb ser conjugated as sería here?
sería is the conditional tense, meaning "it would be." In hypothetical sentences (the second conditional), the main result clause always uses the conditional tense to express what would happen if the imaginary condition were met.
Why does mejor come before aparato instead of after it?
While most descriptive adjectives in Spanish come after the noun, mejor (better or best) and peor (worse or worst) are common exceptions. They almost always go directly before the noun they describe.
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