B2 · Conditions
Mixed conditions
The condition is in the past and the consequence is now — English mixes them too.
At a glance
- Remember
- The condition may lie then and the consequence now — se still takes no Condicional.
- When
If and would — Here the condition decides the form, not the position on the clock.
- Form
- se (eu) tivesse aceitado, hoje viveria láhad I accepted, I would live there today
- Signal words
- hoje
- agora
- ainda
- já
- Trap
- Wrong:Se tivesse aceitado aquele lugar, hoje teria vivido no Porto.Right:Se tivesse aceitado aquele lugar, hoje viveria no Porto.
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The form
How the forms are built
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in Portuguese. The colours show what changes from one form to the next.
stem (regular) stem (irregular) tense marker person ending auxiliary verb
| had I accepted, I would live there today | se (eu) tivesse aceitado, hoje viveria lá |
| had you accepted, you would live there today | se (tu) tivesses aceitado, hoje viverias lá |
| had he / she accepted, he / she would live there today (also: formal you) | se (ele / ela / você) tivesse aceitado, hoje viveria lá |
| had we accepted, we would live there today | se (nós) tivéssemos aceitado, hoje viveríamos lá |
| had you accepted, you would live there today, plural and formal | se (vós) tivésseis aceitado, hoje viveríeis lá |
| had they accepted, they would live there today (also: you, plural) | se (eles / elas / vocês) tivessem aceitado, hoje viveriam lá |
| if I could drive, I would have come | se (eu) soubesse conduzir, teria vindo |
| if you could drive, you would have come | se (tu) soubesses conduzir, terias vindo |
| if he / she could drive, he / she would have come (also: formal you) | se (ele / ela / você) soubesse conduzir, teria vindo |
| if we could drive, we would have come | se (nós) soubéssemos conduzir, teríamos vindo |
| if you could drive, you would have come, plural and formal | se (vós) soubésseis conduzir, teríeis vindo |
| if they could drive, they would have come (also: you, plural) | se (eles / elas / vocês) soubessem conduzir, teriam vindo |
| then — now | se tivesse aceitado, viveria |
| lasting — then | se fosse mais corajoso, teria dito |
| had you slept, you would be fit | se tivesses dormido, estarias em forma |
| if she could drive, she would have come | se soubesse conduzir, teria vindo |
| had we booked, we would have a table | se tivéssemos reservado, tínhamos mesa |
| had I his number, I would have called him | se tivesse o número dele, tinha-lhe ligado |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Condition then, consequence now: mais-que-perfeito do conjuntivo in the se clause, Condicional or Imperfeito in the main one.
Se tivesses ouvido, agora percebias.If you had listened, you would understand now.
Condition lasting, consequence then: imperfeito do conjuntivo in the se clause, Condicional composto in the main one.
Se fosse rico, teria comprado aquela casa.If I were rich, I would have bought that house.
se never takes the Condicional — not even in a mixture.
Se tivesse sabido, tinha ficado.If I had known, I would have stayed.
A word like hoje or agora signals the mixture.
Se tivesses apanhado o comboio, já cá estavas.If you had caught the train, you would already be here.
Example sentences
Se tivesse estudado, tinha um ordenado melhor.If I had studied, I would have a better salary now.
Se fosse menos tímida, teria falado.If she were less shy, she would have spoken.
Se não tivéssemos mudado de casa, ainda éramos vizinhos.If we had not moved, we would still be neighbours.
Se não fosses tão teimoso, tinhas aceitado.If you were not so stubborn, you would have agreed.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Forcing both halves into the same time says something else. Se tivesse aceitado, teria vivido no Porto means: I would have lived there back then — and not any more. The mixed form says the consequence reaches into today.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
The three basic patterns keep both halves on the same time level. Life does not: a decision missed then has consequences now. Se tivesse aceitado aquele lugar, hoje viveria no Porto.
English does exactly this and has no name for it either — « if I had taken that job, I would be living in Porto now » mixes a third conditional with a second, and nobody stumbles over it. So the idea transfers whole; only the forms have to be fitted.
The se clause takes the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito do conjuntivo — tivesse aceitado — and the main clause the Condicional, or, as usual in speech, the Imperfeito: hoje vivia no Porto.
The reverse mixture: a lasting condition that would have had a consequence back then. Se fosse mais corajoso, teria dito que não. Imperfeito do conjuntivo in the se clause, Condicional composto in the main one. And the rule holds throughout: se never takes the Condicional.
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