Short & Sweet: Irregular Conditional Stems
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Three common verbs—dizer, fazer, and trazer—drop their middle letters to form irregular conditional stems.
- Dizer becomes dir- + conditional ending (e.g., diria).
- Fazer becomes far- + conditional ending (e.g., faria).
- Trazer becomes trar- + conditional ending (e.g., traria).
Overview
The Portuguese Conditional tense, known as Futuro do Pretérito, generally exhibits a high degree of regularity. Most verbs form their conditional by appending specific endings (-ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -íeis, -iam) directly to the infinitive form. This consistent pattern simplifies conjugation considerably for learners.
However, a select group of high-frequency verbs deviates from this rule. Specifically, dizer (to say), fazer (to do/make), and trazer (to bring) exhibit irregular stems in the Conditional, mirroring their irregular Future tense conjugations. Understanding these three verbs and their compounds is crucial for B2-level Portuguese speakers, as they are fundamental to expressing hypothetical situations, polite requests, and future actions viewed from a past perspective.
These irregularities are not arbitrary; they are rooted in historical phonological developments from Latin, where the original infinitive structures underwent phonetic changes that led to their modern shortened forms. For the contemporary learner, this means memorizing three distinct irregular stems: dir-, far-, and trar-. Mastery of these forms ensures not only grammatical accuracy but also a more natural and idiomatic expression in Portuguese, reflecting the usage of native speakers across both European and Brazilian variants.
Conjugation Table
| Person | Dizer (dir-) |
Fazer (far-) |
Trazer (trar-) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :------------- | :----------------- | :----------------- | :----------------- | ||
| Eu (I) | diria |
faria |
traria |
||
| Tu (You) | dirias |
farias |
trarias |
||
| Você/Ele/Ela (You/He/She) | diria |
faria |
traria |
||
| Nós (We) | diríamos |
faríamos |
traríamos |
||
| Vós (You all) | diríeis |
faríeis |
traríeis |
||
| Vocês/Eles/Elas (You all/They) | diriam |
fariam |
trariam |
How This Grammar Works
Futuro do Pretérito, expresses hypothetical actions or events, politeness, and future actions in relation to a past point. For regular verbs, its formation is straightforward: you attach the conditional endings (-ia, -ias, etc.) directly to the infinitive form of the verb. For example, falar (to speak) becomes falaria, comer (to eat) becomes comeria, and partir (to leave) becomes partiria.dizer, fazer, and trazer operate differently. They do not retain their full infinitive forms when conjugating in the Conditional. Instead, they undergo a stem contraction, where the infinitive ending and part of the preceding stem are replaced by a shorter, modified stem that always ends in r.dizer transforms into dir-, fazer into far-, and trazer into trar- before any endings are added.dizer had future/conditional stems that resembled dicere or facere, which naturally contracted over time. For the learner, recognizing this shared stem with the Future tense (e.g., farei for Future, faria for Conditional) provides a mnemonic link, reinforcing the pattern across tenses.Formation Pattern
dizer, fazer, and trazer follows a precise two-step process. This method requires replacing the entire infinitive form with a specific shortened stem before applying the standard Conditional endings. It is crucial not to attempt to combine parts of the infinitive with these irregular stems; the irregular stem is a complete replacement.
dizer, fazer, or trazer.
Dizer (to say) → Dir-
Fazer (to do/make) → Far-
Trazer (to bring) → Trar-
-ia (Eu, Você/Ele/Ela)
-ias (Tu)
-íamos (Nós)
-íeis (Vós)
-iam (Vocês/Eles/Elas)
fazer as an example: The irregular stem is far-. To conjugate for Eu, you combine far- + -ia, resulting in eu faria. For Nós, you combine far- + -íamos, yielding nós faríamos. This methodical application ensures correct conjugation for these challenging verbs. For instance, Você me diria o preço? (Would you tell me the price?) correctly uses the dir- stem for dizer, and Ele traria os documentos se pudesse. (He would bring the documents if he could.) uses trar- for trazer.
When To Use It
dizer, fazer, and trazer are deployed in precisely the same contexts as regular conditional verbs. Their irregularity pertains solely to their stem formation, not their semantic function. Mastery at the B2 level involves understanding these key applications, which extend beyond simple hypotheticals to include politeness, reported speech, and softened opinions.- Hypothetical Situations and Unreal Conditions: The primary function of the conditional is to discuss what would happen under specific, often contrary-to-fact, conditions. These verbs are indispensable in
se(if) clauses where the outcome is hypothetical. Se eu tivesse tempo, eu faria um bolo.(If I had time, I would make a cake.)Ele diria a verdade, se soubesse.(He would tell the truth, if he knew.)Nós traríamos mais cadeiras, se fosse necessário.(We would bring more chairs, if it were necessary.)
- Polite Requests and Suggestions: The conditional softens requests, making them more courteous and less direct. Using
diria,faria, ortrariain a question or statement expresses deference. Você me faria um grande favor?(Would you do me a great favor?) – This is significantly more polite thanVocê me faz um favor?(Do you do me a favor?).Eu diria que essa é uma boa solução.(I would say that's a good solution.) – Softens a direct statement into a suggestion or opinion.Ela traria o vinho para a festa, se você pedisse.(She would bring the wine for the party, if you asked.)
- Future in the Past (Reported Speech): When reporting something someone said they would do, the conditional is used. This is particularly common with
dizeritself. Ele disse que faria o trabalho amanhã.(He said he would do the work tomorrow.)Ela me garantiu que traria as chaves.(She assured me she would bring the keys.)Eles prometeram que nos diriam o resultado.(They promised they would tell us the result.)
- Softening Statements or Opinions: To express an opinion or conclusion with less assertiveness, the conditional is employed. This nuances the speaker's stance, indicating a degree of uncertainty or modesty.
Eu diria que o problema está na comunicação.(I would say the problem is in the communication.)Isso não nos traria nenhum benefício.(That wouldn't bring us any benefit.)
Common Mistakes
- Applying Regular Conjugation to Irregulars: The most frequent error is treating
dizer,fazer, andtrazeras if they were regular verbs, thus appending-iaendings directly to their infinitive forms. This results in phonetically awkward and grammatically incorrect constructions. - Incorrect:
Eu fazerria o almoço.(Incorrect forfaria.) This form is non-existent in Portuguese and sounds markedly unnatural. - Incorrect:
Eles dizeriam a verdade.(Incorrect fordiriam.) The repetition of thezsound makes this immediately identifiable as an error by native speakers. - Incorrect:
Nós trazeríamos o bolo.(Incorrect fortraríamos.) Thezin the middle oftrazeríamosbreaks the expected rhythm.
dir-, far-, trar-.- Confusing Conditional with Future Tense: While these verbs share the same irregular stems in both the Future and Conditional tenses, their endings differ. Mistaking one for the other changes the meaning from a hypothetical (
would) to a certainty (will). Eu farei isso.(I will do that.) – Future Tense, expresses certainty.Eu faria isso.(I would do that.) – Conditional Tense, expresses hypothesis.
-ei, -ás, -á, -emos, -eis, -ão; Conditional ends in -ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -íeis, -iam.- Over-generalization from Other Romance Languages: Speakers of Spanish, in particular, may erroneously assume more Portuguese verbs have irregular conditional stems, influenced by Spanish verbs like
tener(tendría) orsaber(sabría). This leads to incorrect regularization of otherwise regular Portuguese verbs. - Incorrect:
Eu poderia ir.(Correct in Portuguese:Eu poderia ir.Poderis regular.) Mistakenly thinkingpoderis irregular and might formpodriais an influence from Spanishpoder->podría. - Incorrect:
Nós teria dinheiro.(Correct in Portuguese:Nós teríamos dinheiro.Teris regular.) Influence from Spanishtener->tendría.
dizer, fazer, and trazer (and their compounds) have these irregular conditional stems. All other verbs are regular.- Using Imperfect Indicative Instead of Conditional (Brazilian Portuguese informal speech): In very informal spoken Brazilian Portuguese, you might occasionally hear the Imperfect Indicative (
fazia,dizia,trazia) used in contexts where the Conditional (faria,diria,traria) would be grammatically correct, especially in hypotheticalseclauses. While understood, this is considered less formal and should be avoided in formal writing, academic contexts, or professional communication. - Informal BP (less formal):
Se eu tivesse dinheiro, fazia uma viagem.(If I had money, I did a trip - meaning
Conditional Conjugation of Irregular Stems
| Person | Dizer (dir-) | Fazer (far-) | Trazer (trar-) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Eu
|
diria
|
faria
|
traria
|
|
Tu
|
dirias
|
farias
|
trarias
|
|
Ele/Ela
|
diria
|
faria
|
traria
|
|
Nós
|
diríamos
|
faríamos
|
traríamos
|
|
Vós
|
diríeis
|
faríeis
|
traríeis
|
|
Eles/Elas
|
diriam
|
fariam
|
trariam
|
Meanings
The conditional mood expresses hypothetical actions, polite requests, or future-in-the-past events.
Hypothetical
Actions that would happen under certain conditions.
“Eu diria a verdade.”
“Ele faria um bolo.”
Polite Request
Softening a demand to sound more professional or polite.
“Você faria um favor?”
“Dizer-me-ias a hora?”
Future-in-the-past
Describing a future event from a past perspective.
“Ele disse que faria o jantar.”
“Eu sabia que ele diria isso.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Stem + ia
|
Eu faria
|
|
Negative
|
Não + Stem + ia
|
Eu não faria
|
|
Question
|
Stem + ia + ?
|
Você faria?
|
|
Reported
|
Disse que + Stem + ia
|
Ele disse que diria
|
|
Conditional
|
Se + Subj, Stem + ia
|
Se pudesse, faria
|
|
Polite
|
Stem + ia + favor
|
Você faria o favor?
|
Formality Spectrum
Faria o senhor o favor? (Request)
Você faria isso? (Request)
Faria isso? (Request)
Faria? (Request)
The Irregular Trio
Dizer
- diria would say
Fazer
- faria would do
Trazer
- traria would bring
Regular vs Irregular
Examples by Level
Eu faria isso.
I would do that.
Ele diria sim.
He would say yes.
Nós traríamos água.
We would bring water.
Você faria um bolo?
Would you make a cake?
Eu não faria esse erro.
I wouldn't make that mistake.
Ela disse que traria o livro.
She said she would bring the book.
Eles diriam a verdade?
Would they tell the truth?
Eu faria tudo de novo.
I would do everything again.
Se eu pudesse, faria uma viagem.
If I could, I would take a trip.
Você traria os documentos amanhã?
Would you bring the documents tomorrow?
Eles não diriam nada sem você.
They wouldn't say anything without you.
Eu faria o que fosse preciso.
I would do whatever was necessary.
Eu faria o projeto, mas não tenho tempo.
I would do the project, but I don't have time.
Ele prometeu que diria a verdade ao chefe.
He promised he would tell the truth to the boss.
Nós traríamos mais convidados se houvesse espaço.
We would bring more guests if there were space.
Você faria o favor de fechar a porta?
Would you do the favor of closing the door?
Jamais diria tal coisa em público.
I would never say such a thing in public.
Faria-se o necessário para resolver o impasse.
What was necessary would be done to resolve the impasse.
Traríamos à tona questões mais complexas.
We would bring more complex issues to light.
Ele diria que a solução é simples, mas não é.
He would say the solution is simple, but it isn't.
Dificilmente diria que a situação é favorável.
I would hardly say the situation is favorable.
Faria-o sem hesitação, caso fosse solicitado.
I would do it without hesitation, if requested.
Traríamos a lume novos documentos amanhã.
We would bring new documents to light tomorrow.
Diria-se que ele não sabia de nada.
One would say he knew nothing.
Easily Confused
Learners mix up 'would' (conditional) and 'will' (future).
Learners use conditional after 'se'.
Learners use full infinitive.
Common Mistakes
fazer-ia
faria
dizeria
diria
traria-ia
traria
fariai
faria
eu faria amanhã
eu farei amanhã
ele diria que ele faria
ele disse que faria
traria-mos
traríamos
se eu faria
se eu fizesse
ele faria se ele teria
ele faria se ele tivesse
diria-me
dir-me-ia
faria-se
far-se-ia
traria-o
trar-lo-ia
diria-o
dir-lo-ia
Sentence Patterns
Eu ___ se tivesse tempo.
Você ___ a verdade?
Ele ___ o vinho.
Nós ___ o que fosse necessário.
Real World Usage
Eu faria um excelente trabalho.
Você traria o carregador?
Eu diria que o hotel é bom.
Você faria a entrega às 8?
Eu faria isso mil vezes!
Dir-se-ia que a teoria é válida.
The 'R' Rule
No Infinitive
Reported Speech
Politeness
Smart Tips
Use the conditional to soften requests.
Use the conditional for future-in-the-past.
Never use conditional after 'se'.
Check for the 'R' stem.
Pronunciation
Stress
The stress is always on the 'i' in -ia.
Stem
The 'r' in the stem is tapped.
Rising
Você faria? ↑
Questioning tone
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember the 'R' team: Dir, Far, Trar. They all have an 'R' and they all drop the middle.
Visual Association
Imagine a 'DIR'ector (dizer), a 'FAR'mer (fazer), and a 'TRAR'ain (trazer) all standing in a line. They are all holding a sign that says 'IA'.
Rhyme
Dir, Far, Trar, the irregular three, just add the ending -ia to be free!
Story
The Director (diria) told the Farmer (faria) to bring the Train (traria). They all agreed to do it together.
Word Web
Challenge
Write three sentences using these verbs to describe what you would do if you won the lottery.
Cultural Notes
Conditional is often replaced by the imperfect indicative in informal speech.
Conditional is strictly maintained in speech and writing.
Mesoclisis (faria-o -> far-lo-ia) is used in high-register documents.
The Portuguese conditional is derived from the infinitive + the imperfect of 'haver'.
Conversation Starters
O que você faria se ganhasse na loteria?
Você traria um presente para um amigo?
Você faria um curso de culinária?
O que você diria ao seu eu do passado?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Eu ___ (fazer) isso se pudesse.
Ele disse que ___ (trazer) o vinho.
Find and fix the mistake:
Se eu tivesse dinheiro, eu dizeria a verdade.
Eu faço o trabalho. -> Eu ___ o trabalho.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Trazer (Conditional)
Which is correct?
Você ___ (dizer) a verdade?
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesEu ___ (fazer) isso se pudesse.
Ele disse que ___ (trazer) o vinho.
Find and fix the mistake:
Se eu tivesse dinheiro, eu dizeria a verdade.
Eu faço o trabalho. -> Eu ___ o trabalho.
Dizer -> ?
Trazer (Conditional)
Which is correct?
Você ___ (dizer) a verdade?
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesVocê ___ (dizer) isso na cara dele?
Nós ___ (fazer) uma festa surpresa.
Eles trazeriam os amigos.
If I wanted to say 'I would bring', I say:
If I wanted to say 'He would say', I say:
She would do anything for him.
Eu nunca te ___ (contradizer).
Se chovesse, eu não sairia e não fazeria nada.
O que você ___ (fazer) no meu lugar?
Which verb is regular in the Portuguese conditional?
Eles ___ (trazer) o equipamento amanhã.
Nós desfazeríamos o contrato.
Score: /12
FAQ (8)
They evolved from Latin with a shortened stem to make speech faster.
No, it is grammatically incorrect and sounds unnatural.
The conjugation is the same, but usage frequency varies.
Always on the 'i' in the conditional ending.
No, these are strictly for the conditional mood.
Try to remember the 'R' rule: dir, far, trar.
It is used in all registers.
Adding the ending to the full infinitive.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
haría, diría, traería
Spanish uses 'har-' while Portuguese uses 'far-'.
ferais, dirais, apporterais
French conditional endings are different.
würde tun, würde sagen, würde bringen
German is analytic; Portuguese is synthetic.
〜たらいい (tara ii)
Japanese has no verb conjugation for conditional mood.
law + past tense
Arabic uses a particle + past tense.
会 (huì) + verb
Chinese verbs do not conjugate.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Related Grammar Rules
Polite Requests & Suggestions (Gostaria, Poderia)
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