Conditional Perfect in Portuguese

Hello there! Today we will talk about Conditional Perfect in Portuguese, which is the continuation of other two topics: Present Perfect and Future Perfect.

But what is the Conditional Perfect in Portuguese? In Portuguese, it’s called “Futuro do Pretérito Composto do Indicativo“. It’s used to indicate an action that could have happened after a past situation. It also indicates the possibility of past action and conveys uncertainty, surprise, and indignation.

Next, let’s see how it’s structured:

Structure of Conditional Perfect

It’s also important to remember that compound verb tenses can also be formed with the auxiliary verb “haver”, but the use of the verb “ter” is more common.

Examples of Conditional Perfect

Eu teria trabalhado, se soubesse que você estava doente.
I would have worked if I had known you were sick.

Eu teria comprado o jogo se você tivesse ajudado a pagar.
I would have bought the game if you had helped me pay for it.

As crianças teriam corrido mais rápido se você tivesse avisado.
The children would have run faster if you had warned them.

Maria teria comido o bolo todo se não estivesse doente.
Maria would have eaten the whole cake if she hadn’t been unwell.

Nós teríamos dirigido até sua casa se você chegasse cedo.
We would have driven to your house if you had arrived earlier.

Do you think you understood it all? In which situations would you use this structure? If you had been on the beach in Copacabana, what would you have done? What would you have done if you had been reading a book only to discover the final pages were missing? If you had decided to study at Rio & Learn, what type of class would you have chosen: online or in person?

Let’s try some exercises?

Choose the right option to complete the phrases using the Conditional Perfect:

1. 1. Eu não veria o filme porque já ____________ o livro.
      (_) teria lido                (_) tera lido
   2. Em suas últimas semanas na empresa, eu ____________ muito café.
      (_) tinha tomar            (_) teria tomado
   3. Jorge nunca ____________ pão de queijo antes de vir ao Brasil.
      (_) teria comido      (_) tinha comido
   4. Até o fim deste dia eu ____________ bastante.
      (_) teria trabalhado   (_) ter trabalhado
   5. Se você estivesse em casa, eu ____________ à piscina.
      (_) teria ido                 (_) terias ido
   6. Se tivesse um trabalho, eu ____________ cedo todos os dias.
      (_) teria levantado    (_)  tenham levantado

Challenge Time!

With this in mind, write 5 phrases in the Conditional Perfect in Portuguese, using the following main verbs: adorar, curtir, beber, comer e viver. Leave your answers in the comment section so we can take a look!

So that’s it! Congratulations on getting this far! We are proud of you.

Keep going!

Rio & Learn

Click on the links below to see more related Dicas
Present Perfect in Portuguese
Future Perfect in Portuguese
Portuguese Pluperfect

Answers

1. Eu não veria o filme porque já ____________ o livro.
   (x) teria lido                (_) tera lido
2. Em minhas últimas semanas na empresa, eu ____________ muito café.
   (_) tinha tomar            (x) teria tomado
3. Jorge nunca ____________ pão de queijo se não viesse ao Brasil.
   (x) teria comido      (_) tinha comido
4. Até o fim deste dia eu ____________ bastante.
   (x) teria trabalhado   (_) ter trabalhado
5. Se você estivesse em casa, eu ____________ à piscina.
   (x) teria ido                 (_) terias ido
6. Se tivesse um trabalho, eu ____________ cedo todos os dias.
   (x) teria levantado    (_)  tenham levantado