Phrase · 💭 Hypotheses in every register
De no ser por ti, no lo habría conseguido.
If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have managed it.
C2thanking, counterfactualsAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
De1prepositionif (lit. of)no1adverbnotser1verbbeinginfinitivepor1prepositionforti2pronounyoutú · 2nd sing.,noadverbnotlo3object pronounitél · 3rd sing. · direct objecthabríaverbI would havehaber · conditional · 1st sing.conseguido3verbmanagedconseguir · participle · masc. · sing..
- De → ti: de no ser por + pronoun: but for
- habría → conseguido: habría + participle: unreal result
- lo → conseguido: lo: what was achieved
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1de no ser por + noun or pronoun = if it hadn't been for, but for. A fixed formula. The extended conditional system: de + infinitive, hubiera and colloquial patterns →
- 2After a preposition: ti, not tú (por ti, para ti).
- 3lo refers to the achievement and goes before habría. Spanish does not drop it.
Variations
- Si no hubiera sido por ti, no lo habría conseguido.
- Sin ti no lo habría conseguido.
- De no haber sido por ti, no lo habría logrado.