Condicional Hipotético
The Condicional (Futuro do Pretérito) is the 'would' tense in Portuguese. It is formed by adding endings like -ia, -ias, -íamos to the full infinitive of the verb.
How It Works
The Condicional (known as Futuro do Pretérito in Brazil) is a versatile tense used to express actions that depend on certain conditions or to soften communication. It is used in several key contexts:
1. Hypothetical Situations: It describes an outcome that depends on a condition. In 'if-then' structures, it is paired with the Imperfeito do Subjuntivo.
Example: Se eu tivesse tempo, estudaria mais. (If I had time, I would study more).
2. Politeness and Courtesy: It is frequently used on its own to make requests or statements more formal and polite.
Example: Você poderia me passar o sal? (Could you pass me the salt?) vs. Você pode...? (Can you...?).
3. Future of the Past: In reported speech, it represents an action that was in the future relative to a past statement.
Example: Ela disse que viria à festa. (She said she would come to the party).
4. Probability in the Past: It can express uncertainty or a guess regarding a past event.
Example: Que horas seriam quando ele ligou? (What time could it have been when he called?).
5. Conjugation: To form this tense, you add the endings directly to the infinitivo (the full verb):
- Eu/Ele/Ela/Você: -ia (falaria)
- Tu: -ias (falarias)
- Nós: -íamos (falaríamos)
- Vós: -íeis (falaríeis)
- Eles/Elas/Vocês: -iam (falariam)
6. Irregulars: Only three verbs have irregular stems, the same ones used in the Futuro do Presente:
- Dizer → diria
- Fazer → faria
- Trazer → traria
Examples (5)
- Se tivéssemos tempo, viajaríamos para a Europa.
If we had time, we would travel to Europe.
Word by Word: If we had time, we would travel to the Europe.
This shows the classic hypothetical structure: 'Se' + Imperfect Subjunctive + Conditional.
- Eu gostaria de pedir um suco de laranja, por favor.
I would like to order an orange juice, please.
Word by Word: I would like of to ask a juice of orange, by favor.
Using 'gostaria' (would like) is the standard way to make a polite request in a restaurant or shop.
- Você poderia abrir a janela?
Could you open the window?
Word by Word: You could to open the window?
The conditional of 'poder' (poderia) is used here for courtesy.
- Ela prometeu que faria o bolo para a festa.
She promised that she would make the cake for the party.
Word by Word: She promised that she would make the cake for the party.
This is the 'future of the past.' At the moment she promised (past), the making of the cake was in her future.
- Eu diria a verdade se soubesse o que aconteceu.
I would tell the truth if I knew what happened.
Word by Word: I would tell the truth if I knew the what happened.
Uses the irregular verb 'dizer' (diria) in a hypothetical context.
Common Mistakes
Using the conditional immediately after 'se' (if).
Se eu teria tempo, eu iria.Se eu tivesse tempo, eu iria.In Portuguese, the clause starting with 'se' (the condition) must use the Subjunctive, not the Conditional. The Conditional is only for the result.
Confusing the conditional with the imperfect indicative in formal writing.
Em um mundo ideal, todos tinham comida.Em um mundo ideal, todos teriam comida.While speakers often use the imperfect (tinham) instead of the conditional (teriam) in casual conversation, the conditional is required in formal or written contexts.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To express hypothetical situations using the 'condicional hipotético', you must first know how to conjugate verbs in the futuro do pretérito (conditional tense), including both regular and irregular forms. Additionally, basic conjunctions are needed to structure the relationship between the condition and the hypothetical outcome.
- faria/diria/trariaCondicional Irregular (Fazer/Dizer/Trazer)
Understanding the irregular forms of the conditional is necessary to use this pattern with common verbs like fazer, dizer, and trazer.
Level 3 - e/ou/mas/porqueBasic Conjunctions
Hypothetical statements often require basic conjunctions to link the condition to the result.
Foundations
Related Patterns
- se + Imperfect Subjunctive + ConditionalCondição Irreal (Presente)
This is the most common sentence structure where the conditional is used to express hypothetical results.
Level 4 - Condicional de Cortesia
Focuses specifically on using this tense to soften requests and sound more polite.
Level 3 - Indirect Speech Transformation
Explains how the future tense in direct speech changes to the conditional in indirect speech.
Level 4 - falar-lhe-iaMesoclisis with Conditional Tense
In very formal Portuguese, object pronouns are placed inside the conditional verb (mesoclisis).
Level 3 - ia + InfinitiveIr + Infinitivo No Passado
A common colloquial alternative to the conditional used frequently in Brazil.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
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