Future in the Past: Reporting What Someone 'Would' Do (Iria)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the conditional tense to talk about a future event from the perspective of a past moment.
- Use the conditional (futuro do pretérito) to report a future intention: 'Ele disse que viria' (He said he would come).
- Shift the future tense (futuro do presente) to the conditional when moving from direct to indirect speech.
- Ensure the subject of the reporting verb matches the implied subject of the conditional action.
Overview
Ever promised a friend you'd call them back, but then your phone died and you forgot? Or maybe you're recounting a story about that one influencer who claimed they iriam (would) quit social media but was back posting TikToks two days later? In Portuguese, when we talk about what someone said in the past regarding their future plans, we use a specific structure called "Future in the Past." This is the magic bridge between what was once a future intention and the past moment it was expressed.
It’s like mental time travel. You’re standing in the present, looking back at a past moment, and then looking forward from that past moment into its future.
In English, we usually handle this by swapping "will" for "would." In Portuguese, we use the futuro do pretérito (conditional). It sounds fancy, but it’s actually one of the most melodic and useful parts of the language. Whether you're gossiping about a Netflix plot twist or explaining to your boss why that Zoom meeting seria (would be) better as an email, this grammar point is your best friend.
It helps you report intentions without sounding like a robot. Plus, mastering this makes you sound way more sophisticated than just sticking to basic present tense verbs. Don’t worry; it’s not as scary as a surprise midterm.
We’ll get through this faster than a 15-second Reel.
How This Grammar Works
iria viajar" (Maria said she would travel).disse (said) is in the past, so the action that follows needs to shift to match that past perspective. You are reporting a future from the point of view of the past.dizer, prometer, or achar) is in the pretérito perfeito (simple past) or pretérito imperfeito (imperfect past), the following verb moves into the futuro do pretérito.ir (to go) being very lazy.Formation Pattern
disse (said), prometeu (promised), contou (told), or pensou (thought). These should be in a past tense.
que. This is the "that" in "He said that..."
futuro do pretérito.
futuro do pretérito, you just take the entire infinitive and add these endings: -ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -íeis, -iam.
Falar (To speak) → falaria, falarias, falaria, falaríamos, falariam.
Comer (To eat) → comeria, comerias, comeria, comeríamos, comeriam.
Abrir (To open) → abriria, abririas, abriria, abriríamos, abririam.
ir + the main verb.
compraria o iPhone." (He said he would buy the iPhone.)
ia comprar o iPhone."
When To Use It
- Reporting Promises: "You said you
lavaria(would wash) the dishes!" We've all been there. It’s the ultimate accountability grammar. - Future Plans from a Past Perspective: Talking about what you thought your life would look like before the pandemic hit. "Eu achei que
viajariapara a Europa em 2020." (I thought I would travel to Europe in 2020.) - Journalism and News: When a reporter says a politician claimed they
ajudariam(would help) the community. It adds a layer of distance, meaning the reporter is just saying what was said, not necessarily what happened. - Social Media Gossip: Reporting what a celebrity posted on their Stories yesterday. "Ela postou que
fariaum sorteio hoje." (She posted that she would do a giveaway today.) - Polite Hypotheticals: Sometimes we use it to be extra soft. "Eu disse que
gostariade um café." (I said I would like a coffee.) It sounds a bit more "university student in a library" and less "toddler demanding juice." - Predictions that failed (or succeeded): "O app disse que o Uber
chegariaem 5 minutos." (The app said the Uber would arrive in 5 minutes.) Spoiler: It took 15.
Common Mistakes
vou fazer or farei) when they should be using the conditional. If the first verb is past tense, the second one cannot be the simple future.- ✗ Wrong: Ele disse que
vaichegar cedo. (If he said it yesterday, this sounds like he's still on his way now, which might not be what you mean.) - ✓ Correct: Ele disse que
iriachegar cedo. (Reporting his past intention.)
fazer (to do), dizer (to say), and trazer (to bring) have weird stems in the conditional: faria, diria, traria. Don't say "fazereria" unless you want your Portuguese teacher to have a tiny heart attack.ia. While the verb doesn't change for gender, if you're using a passive structure or an adjective, remember that ele is masculine and ela is feminine.- "Ela disse que
ia ficarcansada." - "Ele disse que
ia ficarcansado."
-íamos ending. Yes, it has an accent. No, you won't sound like a Victorian poet if you use it correctly—you'll just sound like someone who knows their grammar!Contrast With Similar Patterns
Pretérito Imperfeito because they both end in -ia. However, they serve very different masters. The Imperfeito (like comia, falava) is for things you used to do or things that were already happening.- Imperfeito: "Eu
comiapizza todo sábado." (I used to eat pizza every Saturday.) - Futuro do Pretérito: "Eu disse que
comeriapizza." (I said I would eat pizza.)
Futuro do Pretérito as the "Would" tense. If you can translate it as "would" in English, you're on the right track.Subjuntivo (Subjunctive). We use the Futuro do Pretérito for reported facts/intentions, while the Imperfeito do Subjuntivo is for "if" clauses.- Subjunctive: "Se eu tivesse dinheiro,
comprariaum carro." (If I had money, I would buy a car.) - Reported Future: "Ele disse que
comprariaum carro." (He said he would buy a car.)
Quick FAQ
Can I use the Futuro do Pretérito to ask for things politely?
Yes! Eu gostaria de... is the classic way to say "I would like..." in a restaurant or store. It makes you sound like a polite legend.
Is the ia + infinitive shortcut okay in writing?
In a WhatsApp message or a blog post? Absolutely. In a formal university essay or a legal contract? Stick to the formal iria form to keep things professional.
What if the person is still going to do the action?
If the action is still in the future relative to now, you can sometimes use the present/future: "Ele disse que vai à festa amanhã." But using iria is always safer when reporting past speech.
Does this work with all verbs?
Every single one. Even the ones that hate you, like haver or ser. They all follow the -ia pattern once you have the right stem.
Why does the -íamos form have an accent?
Because Portuguese loves accents like Brazilians love coffee. It marks the stress so you don't accidentally say it like a different word. Just embrace the little hat on the 'i'!
Will people laugh if I use the wrong tense?
No, they'll just think you're a traveler with a mysterious past. But use the right one and they'll think you've been living in Lisbon or São Paulo for years.
Conditional Tense Endings
| Person | Ending | Example (Falar) |
|---|---|---|
|
Eu
|
-ia
|
Falaria
|
|
Tu
|
-ias
|
Falarias
|
|
Ele/Ela
|
-ia
|
Falaria
|
|
Nós
|
-íamos
|
Falaríamos
|
|
Vós
|
-íeis
|
Falaríeis
|
|
Eles/Elas
|
-iam
|
Falariam
|
Meanings
This structure expresses an action that was future-oriented relative to a point in the past.
Reported Future
Reporting a future intention stated in the past.
“Ele disse que faria o jantar.”
“Ela afirmou que viajaria no mês seguinte.”
Past Expectation
Describing an expectation that existed in the past.
“Eu sabia que isso aconteceria.”
“Nós tínhamos certeza de que eles chegariam cedo.”
Hypothetical Past
Describing a past scenario that was conditional on another event.
“Se eu soubesse, eu te diria.”
“Eu iria à festa, mas estava doente.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Subj + Verb(cond)
|
Eu faria
|
|
Negative
|
Subj + não + Verb(cond)
|
Eu não faria
|
|
Question
|
Verb(cond) + Subj?
|
Faria você?
|
|
Reported
|
Verb(past) + que + Verb(cond)
|
Ele disse que faria
|
Formality Spectrum
Ele afirmou que chegaria. (Reporting arrival)
Ele disse que chegaria. (Reporting arrival)
Ele falou que ia chegar. (Reporting arrival)
Ele disse que chegava. (Reporting arrival)
Future in the Past Concept
Usage
- Reported Speech Reported Speech
- Expectations Expectations
Examples by Level
Eu disse que ia comer.
I said I was going to eat.
Ele falou que viria.
He said he would come.
Eu sabia que eles chegariam cedo.
I knew they would arrive early.
Ela prometeu que terminaria o relatório.
She promised she would finish the report.
Se eu soubesse, eu não diria nada.
If I had known, I wouldn't have said anything.
Era evidente que a decisão traria consequências.
It was evident that the decision would bring consequences.
Easily Confused
Both use '-ia' endings.
Common Mistakes
Eu disse que vou ir.
Eu disse que iria.
Ele falou que faria.
Ele disse que faria.
Eu pensava que ele vem.
Eu pensava que ele viria.
Eu teria feito se eu sabia.
Eu teria feito se eu soubesse.
Sentence Patterns
Eu disse que ___.
Real World Usage
Eu achei que o show seria melhor.
Focus on the stem
Smart Tips
Always shift the tense.
Pronunciation
Conditional endings
The '-ia' ending is pronounced as a diphthong /ia/.
Falling
Ele disse que viria ↘
Declarative statement.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of the conditional as a 'Past-Future' bridge.
Visual Association
Imagine a clock showing 5:00 PM (the past) and a thought bubble showing 8:00 PM (the future).
Rhyme
When the past is the base, use 'ia' in place.
Story
Yesterday, I planned to run. I said: 'I will run.' Today, I tell you: 'I said I would run.' In Portuguese: 'Eu disse que correria.'
Word Web
Challenge
Write 3 sentences about things you planned to do yesterday but didn't.
Cultural Notes
In informal speech, 'ia + infinitive' is much more common than the synthetic conditional.
The synthetic conditional is used more frequently in daily speech than in Brazil.
Derived from the Latin infinitive + imperfect of 'habere'.
Conversation Starters
O que você achou que faria hoje?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Ele disse que ___ (fazer) o bolo.
Score: /1
Practice Exercises
1 exercisesEle disse que ___ (fazer) o bolo.
Score: /1
Practice Bank
10 exercisesEu achei que você ___ (trazer) a cerveja.
que / disse / chegaria / Ele / cedo
They said they would call later.
Match the pairs:
He said he would do the homework:
Nós avisamos que ___ (estar) prontos às oito.
Eu pensei que você me dirá a verdade.
Reporting a plan that changed:
O app disse que o Uber ___ (chegar) em breve.
I thought it would be easier.
Score: /10
FAQ (1)
Only in very informal speech.
Scaffolded Practice
1
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
hablaría
None.
parlerais
None.
würde + infinitive
Analytical vs synthetic.
tsumori datta
Grammatical category.
kuntu sa...
Tense system.
wo yiwei...
No conjugation.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
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