Phrase · 🧲 Persuasion and rhetoric
Pongamos por caso que mañana se cae el sistema: ¿qué hacemos?
Let's say the system goes down tomorrow: what do we do?
C2proposing a hypotheticalAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Pongamos1verblet's suppose (lit. put)poner · subjunctive · present · 1st pl.por1prepositionas (lit. by)caso1nouna casemasc. · sing.queconjunctionthatmañanaadverbtomorrowse3pronoun(itself)3rdcae2verbgoes down (lit. falls)caer · present · 3rd sing.eldeterminerthemasc. · sing. · definitesistema3nounsystemmasc. · sing.:¿quépronounwhathacemos2verbdo we dohacer · present · 1st pl.?
- Pongamos → caso: pongamos por caso: let's suppose
- que → cae: que + indicative: the imagined case
- se → cae: caerse: pronominal
- cae → sistema: cae agrees with el sistema
Word for word: “Let's put by case that tomorrow the system falls: what do we do?”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1Pongamos por caso que… = let's suppose: the "let's" form is the present subjunctive of poner, drawing the listener into the scenario. Present subjunctive: forms →
- 2After pongamos que the hypothesis usually takes the indicative (se cae), and the present serves for the future (qué hacemos). Present tense: spelling-change verbs and other uses of the present →
- 3caerse el sistema = the system crashes. el sistema is masculine despite the -a.
Variations
- Supongamos que mañana se cae el sistema: ¿qué hacemos?
- Pongamos que mañana falla el sistema: ¿qué haríamos?
- Imagina que mañana se cae el sistema: ¿qué hacemos entonces?