Future & Conditional Stems: I will/would do (dir, far, trar)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Three common verbs—dizer, fazer, and trazer—drop their middle letters to form irregular stems in the future and conditional tenses.
- Dizer becomes dir-: Eu direi (I will say).
- Fazer becomes far-: Eu farei (I will do).
- Trazer becomes trar-: Eu trarei (I will bring).
Overview
Mastering the Portuguese future and conditional tenses requires a precise understanding of verb stems, especially for a select group of highly frequent verbs. While most verbs simply use their infinitive as the stem, three pivotal verbs—dizer (to say/tell), fazer (to do/make), and trazer (to bring)—undergo a significant, yet predictable, stem change. They transform into dir-, far-, and trar- respectively.
This irregularity is not arbitrary; it is a linguistic efficiency, allowing for smoother pronunciation in rapid speech. Accurately employing these irregular stems elevates your Portuguese from functional to fluent, signifying a B2 level comprehension where nuances of commitment, hypothetical situations, and politeness are conveyed with precision. For example, knowing the difference between farei (I will do) and faria (I would do) is crucial for clear communication in both professional and social contexts.
Conjugation Table
| Person | Ending | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| :------------- | :----- | |||
| Eu | -ei | |||
| Tu | -ás | |||
| Ele/Ela/Você | -á | |||
| Nós | -emos | |||
| Vós (EP) | -eis | |||
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | -ão | |||
| Person | Ending | |||
| :------------- | :----- | |||
| Eu | -ia | |||
| Tu | -ias | |||
| Ele/Ela/Você | -ia | |||
| Nós | -íamos | |||
| Vós (EP) | -íeis | |||
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | -iam | |||
| Person | Future Indicative | Conditional | ||
| :------------- | :---------------- | :---------- | ||
| Eu | direi | diria | ||
| Tu | dirás | dirias | ||
| Ele/Ela/Você | dirá | diria | ||
| Nós | diremos | diríamos | ||
| Vós (EP) | direis | diríeis | ||
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | dirão | diriam | ||
| Person | Future Indicative | Conditional | ||
| :------------- | :---------------- | :---------- | ||
| Eu | farei | faria | ||
| Tu | farás | farias | ||
| Ele/Ela/Você | fará | faria | ||
| Nós | faremos | faríamos | ||
| Vós (EP) | fareis | faríeis | ||
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | farão | fariam | ||
| Person | Future Indicative | Conditional | ||
| :------------- | :---------------- | :---------- | ||
| Eu | trarei | traria | ||
| Tu | trarás | trarias | ||
| Ele/Ela/Você | trará | traria | ||
| Nós | traremos | traríamos | ||
| Vós (EP) | trareis | traríeis | ||
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | trarão | trariam | ||
| Person | Future Indicative | Conditional | ||
| :------------- | :---------------- | :---------- | \ | |
| Eu | comerei | comeria | ||
| Tu | comerás | comerias | ||
| Ele/Ela/Você | comerá | comeria | \ | |
| Nós | comeremos | comeríamos | \ | |
| Vós (EP) | comereis | comeríeis | \ | |
| Eles/Elas/Vocês | comerão | comeriam |
How This Grammar Works
falar (to speak) becomes falarei (I will speak), and estudar (to study) becomes estudaria (I would study).dizer, fazer, and trazer are exceptions due to their high frequency and phonetic evolution. Over time, in these specific verbs, the initial vowel of the ending combined with the final -er of the infinitive underwent a process called syncope, where an unstressed vowel (and sometimes a consonant) was dropped to create a more efficient, less cumbersome sound. This resulted in the shortened, more guttural stems: dir-, far-, and trar-.-ei, -ia, etc.) further highlights the underlying regularity of the tense formation, despite the initial irregularity of the stem.Formation Pattern
cantar remains cantar-, vender remains vender-, and partir remains partir-. However, for the three irregular verbs, you must apply the specific stem alteration:
dizer transforms to dir-.
fazer transforms to far-.
trazer transforms to trar-.
Futuro do Presente), you will use: -ei, -ás, -á, -emos, -eis (European Portuguese vós form), -ão.
Eu farei a apresentação amanhã. (I will do the presentation tomorrow.)
Eles dirão a verdade. (They will tell the truth.)
Futuro do Pretérito), you will use: -ia, -ias, -ia, -íamos, -íeis (European Portuguese vós form), -iam.
Se eu pudesse, faria a viagem agora. (If I could, I would do the trip now.)
Você traria o vinho, por favor? (Would you bring the wine, please? - polite request)
When To Use It
farei, direi, trarei) is used to express:- Certainty or Strong Intention: Actions that are definite or highly probable to occur in the future.
Prometo que farei o meu melhor.(I promise I will do my best.)- Predictions and Forecasts: Statements about what is expected to happen.
Dizem que o tempo dirá se estamos certos.(They say time will tell if we are right.)- Formal Announcements or Schedules: Often found in written notices, news, or formal speeches.
A empresa trará novas oportunidades de emprego.(The company will bring new job opportunities.)- Mild Commands or Obligations (especially in literary or formal contexts, though less common in spoken BP).
Não matarás.(Thou shalt not kill.)
faria, diria, traria) is used to express:- Hypothetical Situations: Actions that would happen under specific conditions, often linked to an 'if' clause (
se). Se eu tivesse tempo, faria um bolo.(If I had time, I would make a cake.)- Polite Requests or Suggestions: Softening a statement or question, making it less direct.
Gostaria de saber se você traria os documentos amanhã.(I would like to know if you would bring the documents tomorrow.)- Reported Speech in the Past: When reporting a future action from a past perspective.
Ele disse que faria o trabalho depois.(He said that he would do the work later.)- Conjecture or Probability in the Past: Expressing a guess or assumption about a past event, similar to
Future Indicative Conjugation
| Person | Dizer (dir-) | Fazer (far-) | Trazer (trar-) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Eu
|
direi
|
farei
|
trarei
|
|
Tu
|
dirás
|
farás
|
trarás
|
|
Ele/Ela
|
dirá
|
fará
|
trará
|
|
Nós
|
diremos
|
faremos
|
traremos
|
|
Vós
|
direis
|
fareis
|
trareis
|
|
Eles/Elas
|
dirão
|
farão
|
trarão
|
Meanings
These stems replace the infinitive form when conjugating the future indicative and conditional tenses for three specific verbs.
Future Indicative
Expressing actions that will happen.
“Eu direi a verdade.”
“Ele fará o trabalho.”
Conditional
Expressing hypothetical actions or polite requests.
“Eu diria que sim.”
“Você faria isso por mim?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Stem + Ending
|
Eu farei
|
|
Negative
|
Não + Stem + Ending
|
Eu não farei
|
|
Question
|
Stem + Ending + ?
|
Fará você?
|
|
Conditional
|
Stem + ia/ias/ia...
|
Eu faria
|
|
1st Person Plural
|
Stem + emos/íamos
|
Nós faremos
|
|
3rd Person Plural
|
Stem + ão/iam
|
Eles farão
|
Formality Spectrum
Fá-lo-ei. (General)
Eu farei isso. (General)
Vou fazer isso. (General)
Vou mandar ver. (General)
The Irregular Stem Trio
Verbs
- Dizer To say
- Fazer To do
- Trazer To bring
Stems
- dir- dir-
- far- far-
- trar- trar-
Examples by Level
Eu farei o bolo.
I will make the cake.
Você fará isso?
Will you do this?
Eu direi tchau.
I will say bye.
Ele trará água.
He will bring water.
Eu faria um favor.
I would do a favor.
O que você diria?
What would you say?
Nós traremos o livro.
We will bring the book.
Eles farão a festa.
They will throw the party.
Se eu pudesse, eu faria tudo diferente.
If I could, I would do everything differently.
Eles disseram que diriam a verdade.
They said they would tell the truth.
Você traria o documento amanhã?
Would you bring the document tomorrow?
Nós faremos o possível.
We will do our best.
Eu diria que a situação é complexa.
I would say the situation is complex.
O projeto fará uma grande diferença.
The project will make a big difference.
Eles trariam mais benefícios ao time.
They would bring more benefits to the team.
Quem fará a apresentação?
Who will do the presentation?
Se a proposta fosse aceita, eles fariam o investimento.
If the proposal were accepted, they would make the investment.
Eu não diria que é impossível, mas é improvável.
I wouldn't say it's impossible, but it's unlikely.
O relatório fará menção aos dados recentes.
The report will make mention of recent data.
Ela traria consigo uma vasta experiência.
She would bring with her vast experience.
Dir-se-ia que o tempo parou.
One would say that time has stopped.
Fá-lo-ei com todo o prazer.
I will do it with all pleasure.
Trar-lhe-iam a solução definitiva.
They would bring him the definitive solution.
O que fará com que a economia prospere?
What will make the economy prosper?
Easily Confused
Learners mix synthetic (farei) with analytic (vou fazer).
Both express hypothetical, but different triggers.
Learners use full infinitive.
Common Mistakes
fazerei
farei
dizerei
direi
trazerei
trarei
fariai
faria
fazeria
faria
dizeria
diria
trazeria
traria
nós fazeriamos
nós faríamos
eles fazerião
eles farão
ele diráia
ele diria
fá-lo-farei
fá-lo-ei
dir-lhe-ia
dir-lhe-ia
trar-lhe-á
trar-lhe-á
far-se-á
far-se-á
Sentence Patterns
Eu ___ (fazer) o trabalho.
Se eu pudesse, eu ___ (dizer) a verdade.
Você ___ (trazer) o documento?
Eles ___ (fazer) uma festa.
Real World Usage
Eu faria um bom trabalho.
O que você diria?
Eu trarei o mapa.
O restaurante fará a entrega.
O estudo fará menção a...
Quem fará a live?
The 'R' Rule
Don't over-conjugate
Conditional vs Future
Brazil vs Portugal
Smart Tips
Use the synthetic future (farei) instead of 'vou fazer'.
Stick to 'vou fazer' to sound natural.
Remember the accent on 'íamos'.
Don't say 'dizerei'.
Pronunciation
Stress
The stress falls on the final syllable of the stem or the ending.
Rising
Fará você?
Questioning.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Remember 'DIR, FAR, TRAR' — the three musketeers of the irregular future.
Visual Association
Imagine a director (dir) making (far) a movie and bringing (trar) the popcorn.
Rhyme
Dir, Far, Trar, the future is near, just add the ending and have no fear.
Story
I will say (direi) the truth. I will do (farei) my best. I will bring (trarei) the cake. These three actions define my day.
Word Web
Challenge
Write three sentences about your plans for tomorrow using these three verbs.
Cultural Notes
In Brazil, the analytic future (vou fazer) is much more common than the synthetic (farei).
In Portugal, the synthetic future (farei) is used more frequently in daily speech.
In both, synthetic forms are preferred in formal writing.
Derived from Latin 'facere', 'dicere', and 'trahere'.
Conversation Starters
O que você faria se ganhasse na loteria?
Você trará algo para a festa?
O que você diria ao seu eu de 10 anos atrás?
Quem fará o projeto final?
Journal Prompts
Common Mistakes
Test Yourself
Eu ___ o jantar.
O que você ___ (dizer)?
Find and fix the mistake:
Eu trarei o livro.
Eu / faria / isso.
Nós ___.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Fazerei is correct.
A: Você fará o bolo? B: Sim, eu ___.
Score: /8
Practice Exercises
8 exercisesEu ___ o jantar.
O que você ___ (dizer)?
Find and fix the mistake:
Eu trarei o livro.
Eu / faria / isso.
Nós ___.
Fazer -> ?
Fazerei is correct.
A: Você fará o bolo? B: Sim, eu ___.
Score: /8
Practice Bank
10 exercisesSe eu ganhasse na loteria, eu não ___ (dizer) nada a ninguém.
traremos / Nós / presentes / amanhã / os
I would do that for you.
Eles ___ (trazer) as malas para o aeroporto.
Eu dize-rei a verdade na reunião.
Match the items:
Você ___ (poder) me ajudar com este app?
Choose the future indicative:
They will tell us later.
diria / você / O que / a ela / ?
Score: /10
FAQ (8)
They are remnants of Latin contractions that persisted in the language.
No, it is grammatically incorrect. Always use 'farei'.
Yes, but 'vou fazer' is more common in speech.
Use the mnemonic 'DIR, FAR, TRAR'.
No, these are the only three common ones with these specific stems.
Yes, the stems are the same for both future and conditional.
Use the analytic form 'vou fazer' or 'iria fazer'.
It is standard, but synthetic forms are more formal than analytic ones.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
haré, diré, traeré
Spanish uses 'h' instead of 'f' for 'fazer'.
ferai, dirai
French lacks the 'trar-' equivalent.
ich werde tun
German does not use synthetic stems.
suru tsumori
No conjugation for future.
sa-af'alu
Prefix vs stem change.
wǒ huì zuò
No verb conjugation.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Related Grammar Rules
Polite Requests & Suggestions (Gostaria, Poderia)
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