B1 Portuguese GrammarSubjunctive & Conditional
Express wishes, hypothetical situations, and polite requests in Portuguese. Master the present subjunctive, imperfect subjunctive, and conditional mood. Learn to form complex sentences with se (if) clauses and express uncertainty or desire.
Practice in interactive stories
With instant translation and audio
1Present Subjunctive Formation
The present subjunctive in Portuguese is formed from the first person singular present indicative. Drop the -o and add subjunctive endings: -ar verbs take -e endings, -er/-ir verbs take -a endings. It's used after expressions of doubt, desire, emotion, and impersonal expressions like é importante que (it's important that).
Present Subjunctive Conjugation
| Person | falar (speak) | comer (eat) | partir (leave) |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | fale | coma | parta |
| tu | fales | comas | partas |
| ele/ela/você | fale | coma | parta |
| nós | falemos | comamos | partamos |
| eles/elas/vocês | falem | comam | partam |
Examples
Espero que ele chegue a tempo.
I hope he arrives on time.
esperar que + subjunctive
É importante que estudemos todos os dias.
It's important that we study every day.
é importante que + subjunctive
Duvido que ela saiba a resposta.
I doubt she knows the answer.
duvidar que + subjunctive
Quero que vocês sejam felizes.
I want you to be happy.
querer que + subjunctive (sejam = irregular)
2Imperfect Subjunctive
The imperfect subjunctive is formed from the third person plural preterite. Remove -ram and add -sse endings: falaram → fala-sse. It's used for past wishes, hypothetical conditions, and after verbs in the past tense. Two forms exist: -sse (more common) and -ra (literary).
Imperfect Subjunctive (-sse form)
| Person | falar | comer | partir |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | falasse | comesse | partisse |
| tu | falasses | comesses | partisses |
| ele/ela/você | falasse | comesse | partisse |
| nós | falássemos | comêssemos | partíssemos |
| eles/elas/vocês | falassem | comessem | partissem |
Examples
Se eu tivesse dinheiro, compraria uma casa.
If I had money, I would buy a house.
se + imperfect subjunctive + conditional
Gostaria que você viesse à festa.
I would like you to come to the party.
gostaria que + imperfect subjunctive
Ela pediu que eu a ajudasse.
She asked me to help her.
Past verb + que + imperfect subjunctive
Se pudesse, viajaria pelo mundo.
If I could, I would travel the world.
pudesse = imperfect subjunctive of poder
3Conditional Mood
The conditional in Portuguese is formed by adding -ia endings to the infinitive (like the simple future). It expresses what would happen, polite requests, and probability in the past. The endings are: -ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -iam. Three verbs have irregular stems: dizer → dir-, fazer → far-, trazer → trar-.
Conditional Conjugation
| Person | falar | comer | partir |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | falaria | comeria | partiria |
| tu | falarias | comerias | partirias |
| ele/ela/você | falaria | comeria | partiria |
| nós | falaríamos | comeríamos | partiríamos |
| eles/elas/vocês | falariam | comeriam | partiriam |
Examples
Eu compraria este carro, mas é muito caro.
I would buy this car, but it's too expensive.
Conditional for hypothetical action
Você poderia me ajudar?
Could you help me?
Polite request with conditional
Ela disse que viria às três.
She said she would come at three.
Future in the past
Naquele momento, eu faria qualquer coisa.
At that moment, I would do anything.
faria = would do (irregular stem far-)
4If-Clauses (Orações Condicionais)
Portuguese has three main conditional patterns. Real conditions use se + present + present/future. Hypothetical present uses se + imperfect subjunctive + conditional. Past unreal uses se + pluperfect subjunctive + conditional perfect. The se clause can come first or second.
Conditional Patterns
| Type | Se clause | Main clause |
|---|---|---|
| Real (possible) | se + present | present/future |
| Hypothetical (unlikely) | se + impf. subj. | conditional |
| Past unreal | se + plupf. subj. | cond. perfect |
Examples
Se chover, fico em casa.
If it rains, I'll stay home.
Real condition: se + present
Se eu fosse rico, não trabalharia.
If I were rich, I wouldn't work.
Hypothetical: se + impf. subj. + conditional
Se tivesse estudado, teria passado.
If I had studied, I would have passed.
Past unreal: pluperfect subj. + cond. perfect
Compraria a casa se tivesse dinheiro.
I would buy the house if I had money.
Main clause first, se clause second
Practice Exercises
5 exercises
'I hope you will accept': Espero que ___.
'He asked her to marry him': Ele pediu que ela se ___ com ele.
'She wanted them to be able to breathe clean air': Ela queria que eles ___ respirar ar limpo.
'There would be challenges and setbacks': ___ desafios e contratempos.
'I would like to offer you a complimentary dessert': ___ vos oferecer uma sobremesa de cortesia.
See Real Examples in Stories
Now that you've practiced, see this grammar in context
Practice with B1 Stories
Apply what you learned in interactive stories with instant translations.
Browse B1 Stories