Language/Portuguese/Grammar/Conditional-Tense

◀️ Future Tense — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Brazil ▶️

Portuguese → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Unit 4: Verbs - Future and Conditional Tenses → Conditional Tense

Introduction

Welcome to Unit 4 of the "Complete 0 to A1 Portuguese Course"! In this unit, we will dive into the world of verb conjugation in the future and conditional tenses. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of how to conjugate verbs in the conditional tense and use them in sentences.

The Conditional Tense

The conditional tense is used to express actions or events that are dependent on a condition. It is often used to talk about hypothetical situations or to express desires, doubts, or probabilities. In Portuguese, the conditional tense is formed by adding specific endings to the infinitive form of the verb.

To conjugate regular verbs in the conditional tense, follow these steps:

1. Start with the infinitive form of the verb. 2. Remove the final -ar, -er, or -ir. 3. Add the appropriate ending for each person.

Let's take a look at the conjugation of regular verbs in the conditional tense:

Regular Verbs

In the conditional tense, regular verbs follow a predictable pattern of conjugation. Let's see how the endings are added to the infinitive form of the verb:

Portuguese	Pronunciation	English
Amar	aˈmaɾ	To love
Eu amaria	eu a.ma.ˈɾi.ɐ	I would love
Tu amarias	tu ɐ.ma.ˈɾi.ɐʃ	You would love (informal)
Ele/Ela/Você amaria	eˈle/eˈla/voˈse a.ma.ˈɾi.ɐ	He/She/You would love (formal)
Nós amaríamos	nuʃ a.ma.ɾi.ˈɐ.muʃ	We would love
Vós amaríeis	voʃ a.ma.ɾi.ˈejʃ	You would love (plural)
Eles/Elas/Vocês amariam	eˈleʃ/eˈlaʃ/voˈseʃ a.ma.ˈɾi.ɐ̃w	They/You would love (plural/formal)

As you can see, the endings -aria, -arias, -aria, -aríamos, -aríeis, and -ariam are added to the stem of the verb to form the conditional tense.

Irregular Verbs

Just like in the future tense, some verbs in the conditional tense have irregular conjugations. These irregular verbs do not follow the regular pattern and must be memorized. Here are some common irregular verbs in the conditional tense:

• Ter (To have)
• Poder (To be able to)
• Fazer (To do/make)
• Dizer (To say)
• Vir (To come)

Let's take a look at the conjugation of these irregular verbs in the conditional tense:

Ter (To have)

Portuguese	Pronunciation	English
Eu teria	eu te.ˈɾi.ɐ	I would have
Tu terias	tu te.ˈɾi.ɐʃ	You would have (informal)
Ele/Ela/Você teria	eˈle/eˈla/voˈse te.ˈɾi.ɐ	He/She/You would have (formal)
Nós teríamos	nuʃ te.ɾi.ˈɐ.muʃ	We would have
Vós teríeis	voʃ te.ɾi.ˈejʃ	You would have (plural)
Eles/Elas/Vocês teriam	eˈleʃ/eˈlaʃ/voˈseʃ te.ˈɾi.ɐ̃w	They/You would have (plural/formal)

Poder (To be able to)

Portuguese	Pronunciation	English
Eu poderia	eu po.de.ˈɾi.ɐ	I would be able to
Tu poderias	tu po.de.ˈɾi.ɐʃ	You would be able to (informal)
Ele/Ela/Você poderia	eˈle/eˈla/voˈse po.de.ˈɾi.ɐ	He/She/You would be able to (formal)
Nós poderíamos	nuʃ po.de.ɾi.ˈɐ.muʃ	We would be able to
Vós poderíeis	voʃ po.de.ɾi.ˈejʃ	You would be able to (plural)
Eles/Elas/Vocês poderiam	eˈleʃ/eˈlaʃ/voˈseʃ po.de.ˈɾi.ɐ̃w	They/You would be able to (plural/formal)

Fazer (To do/make)

Portuguese	Pronunciation	English
Eu faria	eu ˈfa.ɾi.ɐ	I would do/make
Tu farias	tu ˈfa.ɾi.ɐʃ	You would do/make (informal)
Ele/Ela/Você faria	eˈle/eˈla/voˈse ˈfa.ɾi.ɐ	He/She/You would do/make (formal)
Nós faríamos	nuʃ ˈfa.ɾi.ɐ.muʃ	We would do/make
Vós faríeis	voʃ ˈfa.ɾi.ɐ̃jʃ	You would do/make (plural)
Eles/Elas/Vocês fariam	eˈleʃ/eˈlaʃ/voˈseʃ ˈfa.ɾi.ɐ̃w	They/You would do/make (plural/formal)

Dizer (To say)

Portuguese	Pronunciation	English
Eu diria	eu di.ˈɾi.ɐ	I would say
Tu dirias	tu di.ˈɾi.ɐʃ	You would say (informal)
Ele/Ela/Você diria	eˈle/eˈla/voˈse di.ˈɾi.ɐ	He/She/You would say (formal)
Nós diríamos	nuʃ di.ˈɾi.ɐ.muʃ	We would say
Vós diríeis	voʃ di.ˈɾi.ɐ̃jʃ	You would say (plural)
Eles/Elas/Vocês diriam	eˈleʃ/eˈlaʃ/voˈseʃ di.ˈɾi.ɐ̃w	They/You would say (plural/formal)

Vir (To come)

Portuguese	Pronunciation	English
Eu viria	eu vi.ˈɾi.ɐ	I would come
Tu virias	tu vi.ˈɾi.ɐʃ	You would come (informal)
Ele/Ela/Você viria	eˈle/eˈla/voˈse vi.ˈɾi.ɐ	He/She/You would come (formal)
Nós viríamos	nuʃ vi.ˈɾi.ɐ.muʃ	We would come
Vós viríeis	voʃ vi.ˈɾi.ɐ̃jʃ	You would come (plural)
Eles/Elas/Vocês viriam	eˈleʃ/eˈlaʃ/voˈseʃ vi.ˈɾi.ɐ̃w	They/You would come (plural/formal)

Using the Conditional Tense

Now that you know how to conjugate verbs in the conditional tense, let's explore how to use them in sentences.

1. Expressing Hypothetical Situations: The conditional tense is commonly used to talk about hypothetical situations. For example:

• Se eu estudasse mais, eu seria um cientista famoso. (If I studied more, I would be a famous scientist.)

2. Expressing Desires: The conditional tense can also be used to express desires. For example:

• Eu gostaria de viajar pelo mundo. (I would like to travel the world.)

3. Expressing Doubts or Probabilities: The conditional tense can be used to express doubts or probabilities. For example:

• Ele poderia estar atrasado. (He might be late.)

4. Polite Requests: In Portuguese, the conditional tense is often used to make polite requests. For example:

• Você poderia me ajudar, por favor? (Could you help me, please?)

Remember to pay attention to the context of the sentence to determine the appropriate use of the conditional tense.

Practice Exercise

Now it's time to put your knowledge into practice! Conjugate the following verbs in the conditional tense according to the given subjects:

1. Falar (To speak) - Eu: - Tu: - Ele/Ela/Você: - Nós: - Vós: - Eles/Elas/Vocês:

2. Comer (To eat) - Eu: - Tu: - Ele/Ela/Você: - Nós: - Vós: - Eles/Elas/Vocês:

3. Dormir (To sleep) - Eu: - Tu: - Ele/Ela/Você: - Nós: - Vós: - Eles/Elas/Vocês:

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've completed Unit 4: Verbs - Future and Conditional Tenses → Conditional Tense. In this lesson, you've learned how to conjugate verbs in the conditional tense and use them in sentences. You've also explored the different uses of the conditional tense, from expressing hypothetical situations to making polite requests. Keep practicing and building your vocabulary to strengthen your Portuguese skills. In the next unit, we will delve into the Portuguese-speaking countries and their cultures. Obrigado and até logo!

Table of Contents - Portuguese Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Unit 1: Greetings and Basic Phrases

• Greetings
• Basic Phrases

  ---

Unit 2: Verbs - Present Tense

• Regular Verbs
• Irregular Verbs
• Ser and Estar

  ---

Unit 3: Family and Descriptions

• Family Members
• Physical Descriptions
• Personality Descriptions

  ---

Unit 4: Verbs - Future and Conditional Tenses

• Future Tense
• Conditional Tense

  ---

Unit 5: Portuguese-Speaking Countries and Cultures

• Brazil
• Portugal
• Cape Verde
• Angola

  ---

Unit 6: Food and Drink

• Food
• Drink
• Eating Customs

  ---

Unit 7: Verbs - Past Tense

• Regular Verbs
• Irregular Verbs

  ---

Unit 8: Travel and Transportation

• Air Travel
• Ground Transportation
• Transportation Customs

  ---

Unit 9: Indefinite Pronouns and Prepositions

• Indefinite Pronouns
• Prepositions

  ---

Unit 10: Health and Emergencies

• Medical Vocabulary
• Emergency Services

Sources

• The Conditional in Portuguese | Practice Portuguese
• Conditional in Portuguese » Portuguesepedia
• Grasp the Portuguese Conditional Tense Once and for All - PwE

Other Lessons

• Porquê VS Porque
• Conditional Mood
• Gender
• Negation
• Prepositions
• Nouns
• Time
• How to Use be
• Future Tense

◀️ Future Tense — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Brazil ▶️