Si lo llego a saber ...

[Perikles]

I have just read

Si lo llego a saber, no vengo.

In context, someone has come to a meeting, and wished he hadn't because they are not doing what he expected. A translation which exactly fits this context is:

If I had known, I would not have come.

Is there another way of translating it which would avoid asking the question as to why the hell there is no subjunctive used for a hypothetical conjecture?

Thanks

[irmamar]

Las perífrasis verbales (dos -o más- formas verbales que funcionan como una unidad, con la característica de que una está en forma personal y la otra en forma no personal) aportan matices de modo o aspecto.

En tu caso: llegar + infinitivo:

a) Logro:
Llegaron a poder ahorrar algo.

b) Culminación de un proceso:
Llegó a ser presidente del club.

c) Sustitución de la construcción 'condicional + subjuntivo':
Si lo llego a saber, no vengo = Si lo hubiera sabido, no habría/hubiera venido.

¿Cuál es tu caso?

[JPablo]

Your subjunctive form would be,
Si lo hubiera sabido, no vengo.
or
Si lo hubiera sabido, no habría venido.

Yet, the most common and colloquial way is indicative,

De haberlo sabido, no vengo.

Or a couple of weeks ago, when Arturo Pérez Reverte insulted the ex-minister Moratinos in hiw twitter, and got an immediate overwhelming response (2,000 more people started to follow his twitter)... he wrote something like "si lo llego a saber, le insulto mucho antes".

Common expression too is "si lo sé, no vengo"...

Not totally sure why the Indicative is ni vogue in this... but looks like the it is a "set expression".

My guess, and it is just a guess, is that of giving a more emphatic statement, a lot more certainty of the fact that "had I known this fact", I for sure wouldn't have been present here...

If I use "si lo hubiera sabido..." gives a more 'polite' viewpoint, or even more uncertain... (for the guy speaking/writing)

"Si lo sé, no vengo" conveys an utter certainty of (knowing now) that I should have not come...

[aleCcowaN]

Pardon? Is the question "Spanish-wards" or "English-wards"?

"Si lo hubiera sabido, no habría venido"

"Si lo sabía,_ no venía"

"Si lo llego a saber, _ no vengo"

"Si lo sé,_ _ no vengo"

are all different ways to convey approximately the same idea (the pause is an important part of the meaning). They range from a formal-hypothetical layout, then a description of a personal decision-making system, to end with a complain about the real outcome being of less value than the should-have-been outcome (which is depicted as most important using indicative).

These last popular approaches allow a lot of extra information and nuances -in spite of a grammar which is intended to be rough-:

"Si lo llego a saber, no vengo" (I had insufficient information)
"Si lo sabía, ni me molestaba en venir" (there's nothing valuable in this for me)

[Perikles]

Wow - thanks everyone, all very helpful and informative.

[JPablo]

You're welcome... (I posted at the same time Irmamar, so I only saw her answer after my post, and right after saw AleCcowan...)

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

I have just read

Si lo llego a saber, no vengo.

In context, someone has come to a meeting, and wished he hadn't because they are not doing what he expected. A translation which exactly fits this context is:

If I had known, I would not have come.

Is there another way of translating it which would avoid asking the question as to why the hell there is no subjunctive used for a hypothetical conjecture?

Thanks

I think that here in the US I have heard "If I come to know this, I wouldn't..." which would fit "Si (lo) llego a saber..."

"If I had known" like the others pointed out, translates to "Si (lo) hubiera sabido..."