Irregular Conditional Stem

Usually, the conditional uses the full infinitive. For falar, you get falaria. It is predictable and comfortable. But our three rebels don't like being predictable. They drop the middle letters to create a shorter stem. The "ze" or "ize" part simply disappears. It is like the verb went on a quick diet. You are left with a stem that ends in r. This new stem becomes your base for everything. You then attach the standard conditional endings to it. These endings are the same for every single verb. They always start with the letter i. This makes them very easy to recognize in a sentence. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. The irregular stem is the yellow light. It tells you to slow down and pay attention. If you use the full verb, it sounds clunky. It feels like wearing two left shoes. Everyone will understand you, but it won't feel right. Mastering these stems is a major B2 milestone.

1. 1Identify your irregular verb: dizer, fazer, or trazer.
2. 2Strip away the middle letters: -iz- or -az-.
3. 3Keep the initial part and the final r.
4. 4For dizer, the stem becomes dir-.
5. 5For fazer, the stem becomes far-.
6. 6For trazer, the stem becomes trar-.
7. 7Now, choose your person and add the ending.
8. 8Add -ia for "Eu" and "Você/Ele/Ela".
9. 9Add -ias for "Tu".
10. 10Add -íamos for "Nós". Remember the accent!
11. 11Add -íeis for "Vós". This is quite formal.
12. 12Add -iam for "Vocês/Eles/Elas".
13. 13Let's look at fazer. It becomes faria, farias, faria, faríamos, faríeis, fariam.
14. 14Notice how the stem never changes once it is shortened.

Use this when you want to be extremely polite. It acts like a verbal "please." Imagine you are in a chic Lisbon cafe. You want to ask a favor. Você me diria as horas? sounds much better than a command. It shows you have class. Use it for hypothetical "what if" dreams. If you won the lottery, what would you do? Eu faria uma viagem mundial. It is perfect for imaginary scenarios. Use it for the "Future of the Past." This sounds like time travel, but it is simple. It describes something that was going to happen from a past perspective. Ela disse que traria o bolo. The saying happened yesterday. The bringing of the cake was the future of that moment. Use it for giving soft advice. It is less bossy than telling someone what to do. Eu não faria isso se fosse você. It is also essential for job interviews. It makes your professional goals sound refined and considered. Use it when speculating about things. Quem diria que ele ganharia? It adds a layer of nuance to your speech.

Don't use it for things that actually happened. That is the job of the past tenses. Don't use it for old habits. If you "used to" do something, use the Pretérito Imperfeito. This is a common trap for English speakers. We use "would" for both, but Portuguese does not. Eu fazia ginástica is "I used to do gymnastics." Eu faria ginástica is "I would do gymnastics (if I could)." Don't use it directly after the word se (if). The word se usually triggers the Subjunctive mood. Se eu fizesse... is correct. The conditional faria usually follows in the second half of the sentence. Don't use it for certain future plans. Use the Present or Future Indicative for those. If you are 100% sure, don't be hypothetical. Keep your speech direct and clear.

Over-regularizing is the number one mistake. Students often say fazeria or dizeria. It sounds logical, but it is wrong. It is like saying "I goed" in English. Yes, even native kids mess this up sometimes! Another mistake is forgetting the accent on faríamos. Without the accent, the rhythm of the sentence dies. Don't mix up diria with dizia. One is "would say," and the other is "was saying." The extra r is your best friend here. It signals the conditional mood. Some people forget that verbs like refazer are also irregular. If the base verb is irregular, the compound verb is too. Eu refaria o teste is the correct way. Don't be afraid of the trar- stem. It looks weird, but it is correct. Some students try to make it trazeria because it feels safer. Trust the irregular stem. It wants to help you.

Compare this with the Future Indicative. They actually share the exact same stems! If you know farei, you already know faria. They are like linguistic twins. One looks forward, the other looks sideways. Also, contrast it with the spoken language in Brazil. In casual conversation, Brazilians often use the Pretérito Imperfeito instead. They might say Eu fazia instead of Eu faria. It is faster and easier. However, at a B2 level, you need the proper conditional. It shows you understand the formal structure of the language. It is the difference between wearing a t-shirt and a blazer. Both work, but one makes a better impression. The conditional is your "blazer" grammar. It adds a touch of elegance to your Portuguese.