B2 Future & Conditional 20 min read Moyen

Deviner le passé : Le conditionnel de probabilité (Futuro do Pretérito)

Utilise le conditionnel (Futuro do Pretérito) pour exprimer une probabilité ou un doute sur le passé, comme avec seria, estaria ou teria feito.

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use the conditional tense to express uncertainty or make an educated guess about the past.

  • Use it for past events you aren't sure about: 'Seria ele o culpado?' (Could he be the culprit?)
  • It replaces the simple past when guessing: 'Onde estaria a chave?' (Where could the key be?)
  • It works with verbs of state and action: 'Eles estariam viajando.' (They were probably traveling.)
Subject + Conditional Verb + (Object/Adverb)

Overview

Vous vous réveillez un dimanche matin. 14 appels manqués de votre meilleure amie. Votre première pensée n'est pas un fait, c'est une supposition.
Était-elle en difficulté ? En anglais, on utilise must have been. Le portugais gère cela avec beaucoup de style : il utilise simplement le conditionnel.
Oui, le même temps que vous utilisez pour commander poliment un café (Eu gostaria de um café) a une double vie secrète. Il agit comme une machine à remonter le temps pour les rumeurs et les probabilités passées.

How This Grammar Works

Pour comprendre, oubliez la traduction littérale. Le portugais utilise le conditionnel pour regarder le passé avec incertitude. Vous dites en fait : "C'est ma meilleure supposition."
Dans un documentaire, le narrateur dira : O suspeito estaria na casa. Cela signifie
Le suspect aurait été dans la maison
. C'est le conditionnel journalistique, très courant pour éviter d'affirmer un fait non vérifié.

Formation Pattern

1
Le conditionnel simple (Pour les états et l'heure)
2
Prenez l'infinitif et ajoutez : -ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -iam.
3
ser -> seria (devait être)
4
estar -> estaria (devait être)
5
Le conditionnel composé (Pour les actions terminées)
6
Utilisez ter au conditionnel (teria) suivi du participe passé.
7
teria feito (aurait fait)
8
Poser des questions
9
Placez le verbe au début. Quem seria? (Je me demande qui c'était ?).

When To Use It

  • Deviner l'heure passée : Seriam umas duas da manhã (Il devait être environ 2h du matin).
  • Se demander à voix haute : Quem bateria na porta? (Qui a bien pu frapper ?).
  • Rumeurs : Ele teria roubado dinheiro (Il aurait volé de l'argent).

Common Mistakes

Ne traduisez pas must have par deve ter estado systématiquement. estaria est beaucoup plus naturel. Ne confondez pas non plus l'imparfait (estava = un fait certain) avec le conditionnel (estaria = une supposition).

Contrast With Similar Patterns

À l'oral, les Brésiliens adorent Será que.

Conditionnel: Ele teria esquecido?

Será que : Será que ele esqueceu?
Les deux signifient la même chose, mais Será que est plus familier, comme texto.

Quick FAQ

Q : Les gens parlent-ils vraiment comme ça ?

R: Absolument ! Surtout pour deviner l'heure.

Q : Puis-je l'utiliser pour le présent ?

R: Non, pour le présent utilisez le futur (estará).

Conditional Conjugation (Regular)

Person Falar Comer Partir
Eu
falaria
comeria
partiria
Tu
falarias
comerias
partirias
Ele/Ela
falaria
comeria
partiria
Nós
falaríamos
comeríamos
partiríamos
Vós
falaríeis
comeríeis
partiríeis
Eles/Elas
falariam
comeriam
partiriam

Meanings

The conditional of probability is used to express conjecture, doubt, or an educated guess regarding a past situation.

1

Past Conjecture

Guessing about an event that happened in the past.

“Quem teria feito isso?”

“Eles estariam em casa quando liguei?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Deviner le passé : Le conditionnel de probabilité (Futuro do Pretérito)
Pronom Conditionnel Simple (États/Heure) Conditionnel Composé (Actions) Équivalent Français
Eu
estaria / seria
teria feito
Je devais être / j'aurais probablement fait
Você / Ele / Ela
estaria / seria
teria feito
Il/Elle devait être / aurait probablement fait
Nós
estaríamos / seríamos
teríamos feito
Nous devions être / aurions probablement fait
Vocês / Eles / Elas
estariam / seriam
teriam feito
Ils/Elles devaient être / auraient probablement fait

Spectre de formalité

Formel
Quem teria subtraído o bolo?

Quem teria subtraído o bolo? (Mystery/Casual)

Neutre
Quem teria pegado o bolo?

Quem teria pegado o bolo? (Mystery/Casual)

Informel
Quem será que pegou o bolo?

Quem será que pegou o bolo? (Mystery/Casual)

Argot
Quem teria levado o bolo?

Quem teria levado o bolo? (Mystery/Casual)

Usages du Conditionnel en Portugais

Futuro do Pretérito

Actions Hypothétiques

  • Eu iria I would go

Requêtes Polies

  • Eu gostaria I would like

Probabilité Passée

  • Ele estaria doente He was probably sick

Rumeurs non vérifiées

  • Teria roubado Allegedly stole

Fait vs. Supposition

Fait (Imparfait/Passé)
Ela estava cansada. She was tired.
Eram 10 da noite. It was 10 PM.
Ele roubou o carro. He stole the car.
Supposition (Conditionnel)
Ela estaria cansada. She must have been tired.
Seriam 10 da noite. It was probably 10 PM.
Ele teria roubado o carro. He allegedly stole the car.

Comment exprimer la probabilité passée

1

Devines-tu un état, une description ou l'heure ?

YES
Utilise le Conditionnel Simple (estaria, seria)
NO
Passe à l'étape suivante
2

Devines-tu une action terminée ?

YES
Utilise le Conditionnel Composé (teria + participe)
NO ↓

Déclencheurs courants pour le conditionnel

Estimer l'heure

  • Seriam duas horas
  • Seria meia-noite
🤔

S'interroger à voix haute

  • Quem seria?
  • Onde estaria?
📰

Journalisme / Potins

  • Teria fugido
  • Estaria namorando

Exemples par niveau

1

Onde estaria o meu livro?

Where could my book be?

1

Quem teria ligado?

Who could have called?

1

Eles estariam viajando quando aconteceu.

They were probably traveling when it happened.

1

O que teria motivado essa decisão?

What could have motivated this decision?

1

Teria sido um erro de cálculo, segundo os especialistas.

It might have been a calculation error, according to experts.

1

Quem ousaria duvidar do que teria ocorrido naquela noite?

Who would dare doubt what might have happened that night?

Facile à confondre

Guessing the Past: Using the Conditional for Probability vs Future of the Past vs. Conditional of Probability

They share the same form.

Guessing the Past: Using the Conditional for Probability vs Conditional vs. Imperfect Indicative

Both refer to the past.

Guessing the Past: Using the Conditional for Probability vs Conditional vs. Subjunctive

Both express doubt.

Erreurs courantes

Onde estava ele?

Onde estaria ele?

Using indicative for a guess.

Ele foi em casa.

Ele teria ido em casa.

Missing the conditional aspect.

Quem fez isso?

Quem teria feito isso?

Direct question vs guess.

Ele estaria lá ontem.

Ele teria estado lá ontem.

Wrong tense for past.

Eu pensava que ele estaria lá.

Eu pensava que ele estaria lá (this is fine, but context matters).

Confusing future of the past with probability.

Ele teria comer.

Ele teria comido.

Infinitive instead of participle.

Teria sido ele?

Teria sido ele?

Actually correct, but often avoided.

Eles estariam ido.

Eles teriam ido.

Wrong auxiliary verb.

O que teria acontecido?

O que teria acontecido?

Correct, but often misused in sequence of tenses.

Se ele teria vindo...

Se ele tivesse vindo...

Conditional in 'if' clause.

Ele teria feito isso, eu acho.

Ele teria feito isso.

Redundancy.

Eles estariam tendo feito.

Eles teriam feito.

Over-complicating.

Structures de phrases

Quem teria ___?

Onde estaria ___?

Eles teriam ___ quando ___.

O que teria motivado ___?

Real World Usage

Texting very common

Onde estaria você?

Journalism common

O suspeito teria fugido.

Job Interview occasional

O que teria feito diferente?

Social Media common

Quem teria postado isso?

Travel occasional

Onde teria ficado o hotel?

Food Delivery occasional

Onde teria parado o entregador?

🎯

Le 'Conditionnel Journalistique'

Si tu lis les journaux portugais, tu verras 'teria + participe' partout. C'est ainsi que les journalistes évitent les procès quand un suspect n'est pas encore condamné :
O suspeito teria fugido de carro.
💬

Les potins sur WhatsApp

Les Brésiliens utilisent 'Será que' pour les potins quotidiens. Mais utiliser le conditionnel rend l'histoire plus dramatique, comme si tu racontais une telenovela :
Ele a teria traído com a vizinha.
⚠️

Ne confonds pas Futur et Conditionnel

Utilise le Futur ('Será') pour deviner ce qui se passe maintenant. Utilise le Conditionnel ('Seria') uniquement pour le passé :
Quem seria aquela pessoa na festa ontem?

Smart Tips

Use the compound conditional (teria + participle).

Ele foi lá. Ele teria ido lá.

Use the conditional instead of the past tense.

Onde foi ele? Onde teria ido ele?

Use 'será que' if you forget the conditional.

Onde estaria ele? Onde será que ele está?

Use the conditional to report unverified news.

O governo aumentou os impostos. O governo teria aumentado os impostos.

Prononciation

fa-la-RI-a

Stress

The stress is always on the 'i' in the conditional ending.

Rising

Estaria ele em casa? ↑

Indicates a genuine question/doubt.

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

Think of the 'ia' ending as 'I-guess-ia'.

Association visuelle

Imagine a detective with a magnifying glass looking at a footprint, saying 'Quem teria passado por aqui?'

Rhyme

Para o passado adivinhar, o -ia você deve usar.

Story

Maria arrives home and finds the door open. She wonders: 'Quem teria entrado? Estaria alguém lá dentro? O que teria levado?'

Word Web

teriaestariaseriafariapoderiadeveria

Défi

Look at 3 objects in your room and guess who touched them last using the conditional.

Notes culturelles

Brazilians often use 'será que' instead of the conditional for probability in informal speech.

The conditional is used more frequently in formal and written contexts.

Similar to Portugal, formal register prefers the conditional.

Derived from the Latin infinitive + habere (to have).

Amorces de conversation

O que teria acontecido se você não tivesse vindo?

Quem teria deixado isso aqui?

O que teria motivado essa mudança?

Onde teriam eles passado as férias?

Sujets d'écriture

Write about a mystery you once had. Use the conditional to guess what happened.
Imagine a historical event. What would have happened if it went differently?
Describe a lost item. Where could it have gone?
Speculate on why a friend didn't call you back.

Erreurs courantes

Incorrect

Correct


Incorrect

Correct


Incorrect

Correct


Incorrect

Correct

Test Yourself

Remplis le vide avec le bon verbe au conditionnel pour exprimer une probabilité passée.

Não sei porque ela chorou. Ela ___ triste? (estar)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: estaria
On utilise 'estaria' (conditionnel) pour deviner son état d'esprit passé. 'Estava' affirmerait un fait connu.
Quelle phrase exprime correctement une rumeur ou une info non vérifiée ? Choix multiple

Choisis la bonne phrase :

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: O gerente teria roubado o banco.
'Teria roubado' est le conditionnel journalistique, signifiant qu'il aurait 'prétendument' volé la banque.
Corrige la traduction peu naturelle. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Quando cheguei, deve ter sido umas 10 da noite.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Quando cheguei, seriam umas 10 da noite.
Pour estimer une heure dans le passé, on utilise le conditionnel de 'ser' (seriam), accordé avec '10'.

Score: /3

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Fill in the blank with the correct conditional form.

Onde ___ (estar) a chave?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: estaria
It's a guess about the past.
Choose the correct sentence. Choix multiple

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ele teria ido.
Teria + participle.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Se ele teria vindo, eu saberia.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Se ele viesse...
No conditional in 'if' clause.
Transform to conditional probability. Sentence Transformation

Onde ele foi? -> Onde ___?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: teria ido ele
Past conjecture.
Is this rule correct? True False Rule

Conditional is only for hypothetical situations.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It's also for probability.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Onde está o João? B: Não sei, ___ em casa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: estaria
Guessing.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

teria / quem / feito / isso

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Quem teria feito isso?
Correct word order.
Match the meaning. Match Pairs

Match: Onde estaria? / Onde estava?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Guess / Fact
Conditional is for guessing.

Score: /8

Practice Bank

12 exercises
Complète la phrase pour former une supposition sur le passé. Texte trous

Quem ___ a coragem de fazer uma coisa dessas? (ter)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: teria
Ordonne les mots pour former une rumeur journalistique. Sentence Reorder

Remets la phrase dans l'ordre :

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: O político teria escondido o dinheiro
Quelle phrase sonne le plus naturel pour deviner une heure passée ? Choix multiple

Sélectionne la meilleure option :

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Seriam umas duas horas.
Traduis le concept de 'devaient être' en utilisant le conditionnel. Traduction

Ils n'ont rien mangé. Ils devaient être nerveux.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Eles não comeram nada. Eles estariam nervosos.
Trouve l'erreur grammaticale. Error Correction

Segundo as notícias, o avião tinha caído no mar.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Segundo as notícias, o avião teria caído no mar.
Complète la supposition. Texte trous

Você não atendeu o celular. ___ ocupado? (estar)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Estaria
Associe l'intention française à l'équivalent portugais. Match Pairs

Associe le sens :

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Fait : Il était malade - Ele estava doente
Identifie la phrase qui exprime le doute. Choix multiple

Quelle phrase signifie 'Je me demande qui c'était' ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Quem seria?
Construis une phrase exprimant l'incrédulité. Sentence Reorder

Remets les mots dans l'ordre :

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ela estaria louca para fazer isso?
Rends la phrase moins certaine. Error Correction

Onde ela estava ontem? (Je me demande où elle était hier ?)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Onde ela estaria ontem?
Traduis la phrase en portugais journalistique. Traduction

L'entreprise aurait prétendument perdu des millions.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: A empresa teria perdido milhões.
Choisis la bonne forme pour estimer un âge. Texte trous

Era uma criança muito pequena. ___ uns quatro anos. (ter)

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Teria

Score: /12

FAQ (8)

No, this is specifically for past conjecture.

It's neutral, but can be formal depending on context.

You can! It's just a stylistic choice.

People will understand, but you might sound less precise.

Yes, all verbs can be used in the conditional.

Formally yes, but the function is different.

Just add 'não' before the verb.

Yes, it's very common in questions.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Condicional de probabilidad

None, very similar.

French high

Conditionnel

French uses it more for politeness.

German moderate

Konjunktiv II

German is more complex with modal verbs.

Japanese low

Darou/Deshou

No verb conjugation for this.

Arabic low

Kana + verb

Arabic is non-inflectional for this specific tense.

Chinese low

Keneng

Chinese has no verb conjugation.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

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