Past Reporting Verbs: Future

When we report speech, we usually move the tense one step back. If the original speaker used the future tense (irei or vou ir), and you are reporting this using a past verb like disse (said) or prometeu (promised), the future must shift. It becomes what we call the 'future-in-the-past'. In English, this is the jump from 'will' to 'would'. In Portuguese, we use the Futuro do Pretérito of the indicative mood. Think of it as a conditional form that acts as a reporter. You take the action that was *going to happen* and place it in the context of the past. It’s like looking at a map of where you were planning to go. You are standing in the present, looking back at a past moment, and pointing toward its future. It sounds complicated, but your brain already does this in English. You just need to learn the new 'uniform' the verbs wear in Portuguese.

1. 1Start with the entire infinitive of the verb (e.g., falar, comer, partir). Do not drop the -ar, -er, or -ir endings!
2. 2Add the specific Futuro do Pretérito endings to the end of that infinitive.
3. 3The endings are the same for all three verb groups (-ar, -er, -ir). This is a rare gift from Portuguese grammar! Enjoy it.
4. 4The endings are:
5. 5Eu: -ia (e.g., falaria)
6. 6Tu: -ias (e.g., falarias)
7. 7Ele/Ela/Você: -ia (e.g., falaria)
8. 8Nós: -íamos (e.g., falaríamos - note the accent!)
9. 9Vós: -íeis (e.g., falaríeis)
10. 10Eles/Elas/Vocês: -iam (e.g., falariam)
11. 11Watch out for the three 'rebels' (irregulars): dizer becomes dir-, fazer becomes far-, and trazer becomes trar-.
12. 12For these three, you use the shorter stem plus the same endings (e.g., eu diria, ele faria, nós traríamos).

• Use it for promises made in the past. "He said he would love me forever." (Ele disse que me amaria para sempre).
• Use it for job interviews. If a recruiter told you they would call, you report it to your family using this tense.
• Use it for missed connections. "I thought you would be here by five." (Achei que você estaria aqui às cinco).
• Use it in corporate reports. "The CEO stated that the company would expand to Asia."
• Use it when describing past intentions. "I knew that this project would be difficult." (Eu sabia que este projeto seria difícil).
• It’s perfect for adding drama to stories. "She didn't know that day would change her life."
• Basically, any time you use 'would' in English to report a past plan, this is your go-to pattern.

• Don't use it if the reporting verb is in the present tense. If someone *says* right now "I will go," you report it as "He says he will go" (Ele diz que irá). No time travel needed here!
• Avoid it when the action is an absolute certainty that is still in the future relative to the current moment, though iria is rarely 'wrong' in reported speech.
• Don't confuse it with the Imperfeito (eu falava). The Imperfeito is for habits; the Futuro do Pretérito is for future plans seen from the past.
• It isn't for polite requests in this context (though the tense is the same, the function is different). We are focusing strictly on reporting speech here.

• Dropping the infinitive ending: Beginners often try to conjugate from the stem (like fal-ia). Remember, it’s the *whole* verb: falar-ia. If you forget the 'r', it sounds like a different tense!
• The 'ia' shortcut: In spoken Portuguese, especially in Brazil, people often use the Imperfeito (ia) instead of the Futuro do Pretérito (iria). "Ele disse que ia ligar" instead of "Ele disse que ligaria." It's very common, but for B2 exams and formal writing, stick to the proper iria forms.
• Accents: Forgetting the accent on the nós form (-íamos). Without the accent, the rhythm of the sentence trips over itself.
• Irregular Mix-ups: Writing fazeria instead of faria. It’s a common 'brain fart.' Think of it like a grammar traffic light; fazeria is a red light! Stop and use faria.

Contrast this with the Present Future. If I say "I will eat," it's a direct promise. If I say "I said I would eat," I'm reporting that promise.

Also, distinguish it from the Conditional used for 'if' clauses. While the verb form is the same (se eu ganhasse, eu compraria), the *reason* we use it in reported speech is different. In reported speech, there is no 'if'. There is only a 'he said'.

Think of the Futuro do Pretérito as having two jobs: one is being the 'dreamer' (the 'if' sentences) and the other is being the 'messenger' (the reported speech). Today, we are training you to be the messenger.