Condicional Presente / Futuro do Pretérito do Indicativo (Present Conditional)
The condicional (presente) is used to express hypothetical situations, polite requests, or actions that would occur under certain conditions.
It can also refer to a future event as viewed from a point in the past (future-in-the-past).
In traditional grammar, it is called the futuro do pretérito do indicativo.
Mood
This tense belongs to the indicative mood, which is used for factual statements, but here it expresses events that are dependent on a condition or context.
Formation
For regular verbs, add the following endings to the full infinitive. The endings are the same for -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.
| Person | AR Example (falar) | ER Example (comer) | IR Example (partir) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu (I) | falaria | comeria | partiria |
| Tu (you, sg.) | falarias | comerias | partirias |
| Ele/Ela/Você | falaria | comeria | partiria |
| Nós (we) | falaríamos | comeríamos | partiríamos |
| Vós (you, pl.) | falaríeis | comeríeis | partiríeis |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | falariam | comeriam | partiriam |
Usage
- Hypothetical situations:
Se eu tivesse tempo, viajaria. (If I had time, I would travel.) - Polite requests:
Poderia ajudar-me, por favor? (Could you help me, please?) - Future in the past:
Ele disse que chegaria às seis. (He said he would arrive at six.)
Irregular Verbs
Irregular stems come from the future indicative form, but the endings stay the same.
| Verb | Stem | Eu form | Nós form |
|---|---|---|---|
| dizer | dir- | diria | diríamos |
| fazer | far- | faria | faríamos |
| trazer | trar- | traria | traríamos |
| querer | querer- | quereria | quereríamos |
| poder | poder- | poderia | poderíamos |
Brazilian Portuguese Differences
- Pronouns:
- BP uses você instead of tu, conjugated like ele/ela:
- BP: Você compraria
- EP: Tu comprarias
- BP uses você instead of tu, conjugated like ele/ela:
- Usage:
- In BP, modal verbs (poder, dever, querer) in the present often replace the conditional in casual speech:
- BP: Você pode me ajudar? (Can you help me?)
- EP: Poderias ajudar-me? (Could you help me?)
- In BP, modal verbs (poder, dever, querer) in the present often replace the conditional in casual speech:
- Formality:
- In EP, the conditional is common in speech and writing for politeness.
- In BP, present indicative alternatives are frequent in informal situations.
Common Time Expressions & Triggers
- Se (if)
- Caso (in case)
- Naquela altura (at that time)
- Nessa situação (in that situation)
Examples
- Eu compraria uma casa se tivesse dinheiro.
(I would buy a house if I had money.) - Poderia ajudar-me?
(Could you help me?) - Se ele estudasse mais, passaria na prova.
(If he studied more, he would pass the exam.) - Ela disse que viajaria no verão.
(She said she would travel in the summer.)
