B2 (Upper Intermediate)Lesson 5: Hypothetical Structures
Brazilian Portuguese conditional sentences follow three main patterns for real possibilities (Type 1), hypothetical present/future situations (Type 2), and impossible past scenarios (Type 3). Spoken usage also includes the imperfect indicative and ia + infinitive in result clauses; tense and context determine whether a condition is factual or hypothetical.
Type 1 (real/likely): "Se chover, fico em casa" (If it rains, I'll stay home)
Type 2 (hypothetical/unlikely): "Se eu fosse rico, viajaria o mundo" (If I were rich, I'd travel the world)
Type 3 (impossible past): "Se tivesse estudado, teria passado" (If I had studied, I would have passed)
The imperfect indicative can express a conditional result; an indicative se-clause may instead describe a factual past condition.
"Se eu era você" is nonstandard as hypothetical advice; use "Se eu fosse você" in the standard pattern.
Learn the irregular stems of the future subjunctive and add the correct person ending.
As a conditional conjunction, caso takes the subjunctive.
Mixed conditionals combine different time frames
Type 1: se + present indicative/future subjunctive, present/future indicative or imperative | Type 2: se + imperfect subjunctive, conditional | Type 3: se + pluperfect subjunctive, conditional perfect
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From negotiating at the feira ("Se você me fizer um desconto, levo três") to daydreaming about the lottery ("Se eu ganhasse na Mega-Sena...") to lamenting missed opportunities ("Se eu tivesse investido em Bitcoin..."), conditionals are the grammar of possibilities, dreams, and regrets! Brazilian Portuguese also uses spoken alternatives whose meaning and suitability depend on tense, context, and register. Master both the formal structures and the colloquial shortcuts, and you'll navigate everything from job interviews to bar conversations where friends debate what they'd do "se fossem presidente."
These express situations that could realistically happen. The result is likely or at least possible.
Se + present indicative/future subjunctive → present/future indicative
| If-clause | Main clause | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Se + present indicative | present | Se está chovendo, fico em casa | If it's raining, I stay home |
| Se + present indicative | present (planned departure) | Se está tarde, vou embora | If it's late, I'm leaving |
| Se + future subjunctive | future | Se chover, ficarei em casa | If it rains, I will stay home |
"Se der tempo, passo no mercado" (If there's time, I'll stop by the market)
"Se você quiser, a gente pede pizza" (If you want, we'll order pizza)
"Se sobrar dinheiro, compro aquele tênis" (If there's money left, I'll buy those sneakers)
"Se o Uber demorar, vamos de metrô" (If the Uber takes long, let's take the subway)
"Se chegar antes das 6, me avisa" (If you arrive before 6, let me know)
"Se eu fosse você, não ia nessa festa" (If I were you, I wouldn't go to that party)
"Se ganhasse na loteria, largava o emprego" (If I won the lottery, I'd quit my job)
"Se morasse na praia, surfava todo dia" (If I lived at the beach, I'd surf every day)
"Se ela soubesse cozinhar, não pediria tanto delivery" (If she knew how to cook, she wouldn't order so much delivery)
The standard hypothetical form is "Se eu fosse você". "Se eu fosse tu" is also grammatical: tu is another choice of addressee pronoun. "Se eu era você" is nonstandard as hypothetical advice; it is not a general rule for replacing the subjunctive.
Distinguish the future subjunctive of ver from its infinitive, and from the future subjunctive of vir:
❌ "Se você ver ele"
✅ "Se você vir ele" (from ver)
But: "Se você vier" (from vir - to come)
Conditional perfect: "Eu teria feito"
Imperfect with a modal conditional meaning, or a factual pluperfect in another context: "Eu tinha feito"
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