Portuguese Conditional Tense: Faria, Poderia & Gostaria in Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese grammar
From Faria to Ia Fazer: How Brazilians Really Express “Would”
The Portuguese conditional is easy to conjugate and surprisingly rich in meaning. The hard part is not forming falaria. It is knowing when Brazilian Portuguese prefers falaria, when it naturally uses ia falar, and when English “would” does not translate with the conditional at all.
Quick answer
The form English-language courses often call the Portuguese conditional tense is traditionally called futuro do pretérito do indicativo in Brazilian grammatical terminology: falaria, comeria, abriria, faria, poderia.
It is used for hypothetical consequences, future events viewed from a past point, polite or softened statements, and some kinds of conjecture. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, it also competes with the imperfect indicative and with ia + infinitive in several contexts.
Eu faria isso.
I would do that.
Eu ia fazer isso.
I was going to / would do that.
Se eu pudesse, eu fazia.
If I could, I’d do it. (colloquial pattern)
Terminology first
What Is the Portuguese Conditional Tense?
In Brazilian grammatical terminology, forms such as falaria, faria, and poderia belong to the futuro do pretérito do indicativo—literally, the “future of the past.” English-language teaching often calls this the conditional because one of its most visible jobs is expressing the consequence of a hypothetical condition.
Both labels reveal something useful, but neither captures every use. Compare:
Hypothetical consequence
Se eu tivesse dinheiro, viajaria mais.
If I had money, I would travel more.
Here viajaria is the consequence of an imagined condition.
Future viewed from the past
Ela disse que chegaria às oito.
She said she would arrive at eight.
The arrival was future relative to the past moment of disse.
Do not assume “conditional” means the verb itself contains a condition.
In Eu compraria aquele carro se fosse mais barato, the actual condition is expressed by se fosse mais barato. The form compraria expresses the consequence or projected result.
The easy part
How to Form the Portuguese Conditional
For regular verbs, keep the entire infinitive and add the same endings to -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs.
| Subject pattern | Falar | Comer | Abrir |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | falaria | comeria | abriria |
| você / ele / ela / a gente | falaria | comeria | abriria |
| nós | falaríamos | comeríamos | abriríamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | falariam | comeriam | abririam |
The practical endings are therefore -ia, -ia, -íamos, -iam. The full prescriptive paradigm also includes tu falarias and vós falaríeis.
Only a few stems change
The Main Irregular Conditional Forms
The irregular stems are closely related to the irregular synthetic future. The three essential stem changes are:
dizer → dir-
diria
Eu diria a verdade.
I would tell the truth.
fazer → far-
faria
O que você faria?
What would you do?
trazer → trar-
traria
Eu traria comida.
I would bring food.
Pôr forms poria, and derived verbs follow their corresponding stems: compor → comporia, propor → proporia. Most verbs that are irregular elsewhere remain structurally regular in this tense: seria, teria, estaria, poderia, saberia, viria.
For cross-tense irregular patterns, use our Portuguese Irregular Verbs guide.
Meaning before memorization
Four High-Value Uses of the Conditional in Brazilian Portuguese
Hypothetical consequences
Eu compraria essa casa se tivesse dinheiro.
I would buy this house if I had the money.
A gente viajaria mais se pudesse.
We would travel more if we could.
Future from a past viewpoint
Ele disse que ligaria depois.
He said he would call later.
Eu sabia que seria difícil.
I knew it would be difficult.
This use explains the Brazilian term futuro do pretérito: the event is posterior to another point already located in the past.
Politeness and softening
Você poderia me ajudar?
Could you help me?
Eu gostaria de uma água, por favor.
I would like a water, please.
Seria possível remarcar?
Would it be possible to reschedule?
These forms are extremely useful because the conditional can make a request, preference, or question less direct.
Reported or unconfirmed information
Segundo a imprensa, o acordo teria sido fechado ontem.
According to the press, the agreement was reportedly / may have been finalized yesterday.
This is an advanced journalistic use. The conditional can distance the speaker from full commitment to the reported information.
The classic pattern
Se Eu Tivesse… + Eu Faria…
One of the most important standard patterns combines the imperfect subjunctive in the se-clause with the conditional in the consequence:
| Condition | Consequence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Se eu tivesse tempo, | viajaria mais. | If I had time, I would travel more. |
| Se ela soubesse, | ficaria chateada. | If she knew, she would be upset. |
| Se a gente pudesse, | moraria no Brasil. | If we could, we would live in Brazil. |
| Se vocês viessem, | seria ótimo. | If you came, it would be great. |
Do not put the conditional after se in this standard pattern.
✗ Se eu teria dinheiro…
✓ Se eu tivesse dinheiro…
The hypothetical condition uses the imperfect subjunctive; the conditional belongs naturally in the consequence.
Real Brazilian variation
Why You Will Also Hear Fazia and Ia Fazer Where a Textbook Teaches Faria
Contemporary Brazilian Portuguese has real variation in several conditional environments. The synthetic form faria is fully grammatical and remains common, but it is not the only option in conversation.
Standard conditional
Se eu tivesse dinheiro, compraria uma casa.
This is the clear textbook pattern and works naturally in both speech and writing.
Conversational alternatives
Se eu tivesse dinheiro, comprava uma casa.
Se eu tivesse dinheiro, ia comprar uma casa.
Brazilian speech may use the imperfect indicative or ia + infinitive in the consequence.
The same competition appears especially clearly in future-from-the-past contexts:
Ligaria
Ele disse que ligaria depois.
He said he would call later.
Ia ligar
Ele disse que ia ligar depois.
He said he was going to / would call later.
Ia + infinitive is especially useful in everyday speech because it can express a projected action from a past viewpoint without requiring the synthetic conditional.
English-speaker trap
English “Would” Does Not Always Mean Portuguese -ria
Hypothetical “would” → conditional
I would go if I could.
Eu iria se pudesse.
Past habitual “would” → imperfect
When I was a child, I would play outside every day.
Quando eu era criança, brincava na rua todos os dias.
Future in the past → conditional or ia + infinitive
She said she would come.
Ela disse que viria.
Ela disse que ia vir.
“Would like” → gostaria
I would like to know more.
Eu gostaria de saber mais.
This is why translating English auxiliary verbs word by word is unreliable. Meaning comes first; Portuguese then chooses the structure that fits that meaning.
High-frequency forms
Poderia, Gostaria, Deveria, Seria: Forms You Will Hear Constantly
| Form | Common job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| poderia | could / could politely | Você poderia repetir? — Could you repeat that? |
| gostaria | would like | Eu gostaria de reservar uma mesa. — I’d like to reserve a table. |
| deveria | should / ought to | Você deveria descansar. — You should rest. |
| seria | would be / softening | Seria melhor amanhã. — Tomorrow would be better. |
| teria | would have / reportedly had | Eu teria mais tempo. — I would have more time. |
| faria | would do | O que você faria? — What would you do? |
Querer technically forms quereria, but learners should not mechanically use it every time English says “would want.” Depending on the intended meaning and register, Brazilian Portuguese often chooses other forms such as queria or gostaria. This is a usage question, not a conjugation error.
One step further
Conditional Perfect: Teria Feito
To talk about a hypothetical result located before the present—or a result that did not happen—Portuguese uses teria + past participle:
Se eu soubesse, teria ido.
If I had known, I would have gone.
Se eles tivessem chegado cedo, teriam visto o começo.
If they had arrived early, they would have seen the beginning.
Eu teria feito diferente.
I would have done it differently.
Avoid these
Common Mistakes English Speakers Make
Using the conditional inside the standard hypothetical se-clause
✗ Se eu teria tempo…
✓ Se eu tivesse tempo…
Translating every English “would” with -ria
Past habitual “would” normally maps to the imperfect: Quando era criança, eu brincava na rua.
Assuming spoken alternatives make faria unnatural
Faria is a real, productive form. The existence of fazia and ia fazer in conversational conditional contexts does not make the standard conditional obsolete.
Forgetting the accent in the nós form
falaríamos, comeríamos, abriríamos, faríamos, poderíamos.
Confusing viria and vier
Ela disse que viria. = She said she would come.
Quando ela vier… = When she comes…
The first is conditional/future-of-the-past; the second is future subjunctive.
Retrieval practice
Practice the Conditional
- Se eu tivesse mais tempo, eu ______ mais. (viajar)
- Você ______ me ajudar? (poder)
- Ela disse que ______ depois. (ligar)
- Eu ______ de aprender mais português. (gostar)
- Se a gente pudesse, ______ no Brasil. (morar)
- O que você ______ nessa situação? (fazer)
- Eu sabia que ______ difícil. (ser)
- Se eu soubesse, ______ diferente. (fazer)
Show answers
1. viajaria
2. poderia
3. ligaria
4. gostaria
5. moraria
6. faria
7. seria
8. faria
FAQ
Portuguese Conditional Tense: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the conditional tense called in Brazilian Portuguese?
Brazilian grammatical terminology normally calls forms such as falaria the futuro do pretérito do indicativo. English-language materials frequently use the pedagogical label “conditional.”
How do I form the Portuguese conditional?
For regular verbs, keep the infinitive and add -ia, -ia, -íamos, -iam for the four practical Brazilian subject patterns used in this guide: eu; você/ele/ela/a gente; nós; vocês/eles/elas.
What are the main irregular conditional verbs?
The major stem changes are dizer → diria, fazer → faria, and trazer → traria. Pôr forms poria. Many verbs that are irregular in other tenses form the conditional regularly from the infinitive, such as seria, teria, poderia, and viria.
What is the difference between faria and fazia?
Faria is the standard conditional/future-of-the-past form. Fazia is the imperfect indicative, but Brazilian speech can use imperfect forms in some contexts where formal or standard patterns use the conditional. The two forms are not interchangeable in every sentence.
Can I say se eu teria?
Not in the standard hypothetical pattern taught here. Use the imperfect subjunctive after se: Se eu tivesse dinheiro, viajaria mais.
Why do Brazilians say ia fazer instead of faria?
Ia + infinitive is a productive way to express a projected action from a past viewpoint and can also compete with the synthetic conditional in some conversational contexts. For example, Ele disse que ia ligar is a natural alternative to Ele disse que ligaria.
How do I say “would like” in Brazilian Portuguese?
Gostaria is a standard and very useful option: Gostaria de reservar uma mesa. Depending on context, Brazilians also use other ways to express wants and preferences.
Does English “would” always use the conditional?
No. Habitual past “would” commonly uses the Portuguese imperfect: “When I was a child, I would play outside” → Quando eu era criança, brincava na rua.
What is the conditional perfect in Portuguese?
It is formed with teria + past participle: teria feito, teria ido, teria visto. It often corresponds to English “would have done/gone/seen.”
Turn grammar into conversation
You Do Not Need to Choose Between “Correct Portuguese” and “Real Brazilian Portuguese.” Learn How They Connect.
The Brazilian Ways teaches the standard structures you need to understand the language while also showing you the alternatives Brazilians actually use in conversation. The goal is not just to recognize faria in a chart—it is to choose a natural structure while someone is waiting for your answer.
