quen o dixera!

Literary -ra with Conditional Meaning

Level 6

Besides meaning "had done", the -ra form can stand in for the conditional in traditional and literary style: Quen o dixera! (who would have thought it!).

How It Works

The basic meaning of -ra

The -ra form (cantara, dixera, fora) is first of all the antepretérito, the past before the past: Cando cheguei, xa marchara (when I arrived, she had already left).

The conditional use

In traditional speech and in literature, the same form can take the place of the conditional. It then means "would" or "would have":

  • Quen o dixera! = Quen o diría! (who would have thought it!)
  • Mellor fora calar. = Mellor sería calar. (it would have been better to keep quiet)
  • Máis valera quedar na casa. = Máis valería quedar na casa. (it would have been better to stay home)
  • Se tivese tempo, fórate ver. = iríate ver (if I had time, I would go and see you)

It often sounds like a fixed expression, and in exclamations like Quen o dixera! it is very much alive. In a long conditional sentence it has a clearly literary or old-fashioned flavour.

Where -ra and -se differ

The -ra form can replace the conditional in the main clause. The se clause still needs the -se form: Se o soubese, non viñera (had I known, I would not have come). The -se form can never replace the conditional or the antepretérito, so Quen o dixese! cannot mean "who would have thought it!". See the -ra and -se forms.

Two related uses that are not conditionals: polite Quixera falar con vostede (I would like to speak with you) and wishes such as Quen me dera! (if only!).

For your own writing, the -ría form is always correct and is the everyday choice. Use -ra in this role when you want a literary tone, and recognise it when you read.

Examples (5)

  1. Quen o dixera! O rapaz máis calado da clase é agora alcalde.

    Who would have thought it! The quietest boy in the class is now the mayor.

    Word by Word: Who it would-have-said!

    Quen o dixera means the same as quen o diría.

  2. Mellor fora calar.

    It would have been better to keep quiet.

    Fora means the same as sería here.

  3. Máis valera quedar na casa con esta chuvia.

    It would have been better to stay home in this rain.

    Máis valera = máis valería.

  4. Se tivese tempo, fórate ver ao hospital.

    If I had time, I would go and see you in hospital.

    The se clause uses -se (tivese); the main clause uses the literary -ra form fora (= iría).

  5. Sen a túa axuda, nunca o conseguira.

    Without your help, I would never have managed it.

    Conseguira has a conditional meaning here: nunca o conseguiría.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the -se form with a conditional meaning.

    Quen o dixese!
    Quen o dixera!

    Only the -ra form can stand in for the conditional, so "who would have thought it!" is Quen o dixera! The -se form is only a subjunctive.

  • Using -ra instead of -se after se.

    Se o soubera, non viría.
    Se o soubese, non viría.

    After se, careful Galician uses the -se subjunctive. The literary -ra form belongs in the main clause, as in Se o soubese, non viñera.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

quen o dixera!Level 6Literary -ra with Conditional Meaning

Learn This First

Some literary -ra forms have a conditional meaning rather than an earlier-past meaning.