Portuguese · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 5 of 12
Hopes and wishes
Esperanças e desejos
Talk about dreams and plans in Portuguese: the conditional (eu faria, eu ia adorar), wishes with tomara que and quero que, and se eu pudesse.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what you would do with the conditional: eu iria, eu gostaria
- Recognise the spoken imperfect instead: eu ia adorar, você podia
- Express wishes with tomara que, espero que and quero que + subjunctive
- Dream out loud with se eu pudesse… and se eu tivesse…
Listen
In Maringá, Lorena asks her father, Ademir, what he's going to do when he retires next month. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Lorena
Pai, você se aposenta no mês que vem. Já sabe o que vai fazer?
Dad, you retire next month. Do you know what you're going to do yet?
Ademir
Ah, filha, tenho muitos planos. Primeiro, eu gostaria de aprender a pintar.
Oh, love, I've got lots of plans. First, I'd like to learn to paint.
Lorena
Pintar? Eu não sabia que você gostava de pintar.
Paint? I didn't know you liked painting.
Ademir
Sempre gostei, mas nunca tive tempo. E também queria viajar pelo Brasil com a sua mãe. É o nosso sonho.
I always have, but I never had the time. And I'd also like to travel around Brazil with your mum. It's our dream.
Lorena
Que legal! E para onde vocês iriam primeiro?
How nice. And where would you go first?
Ademir
Eu ia adorar conhecer a Amazônia. Mas a sua mãe prefere as praias do Nordeste.
I'd love to see the Amazon. But your mum prefers the beaches in the Northeast.
Lorena
Tomara que vocês consigam fazer as duas viagens.
I hope you manage to do both trips.
Ademir
Se eu pudesse, viajava o ano todo. Mas também quero passar mais tempo com os meus netos.
If I could, I'd travel all year. But I also want to spend more time with my grandchildren.
Lorena
Eles vão adorar. Aliás, você podia buscar a Júlia na escola às terças?
They'll love that. By the way, could you pick Júlia up from school on Tuesdays?
Ademir
Claro. E você quer que eu traga o Davi também?
Of course. And do you want me to bring Davi too?
Lorena
Seria ótimo. Mas eu, no seu lugar, ia descansar um pouco primeiro.
That would be great. But if I were you, I'd rest a bit first.
Ademir
Descansar? Filha, eu trabalhei quarenta anos. Agora eu quero aproveitar a vida.
Rest? Love, I've worked for forty years. Now I want to enjoy life.
Understand
The conditional: eu faria
The conditional () says what would happen. Add these endings to the whole infinitive: -ia, -ia, -íamos, -iam: → , . Three verbs shorten the infinitive: → , → , → .
In everyday speech, Brazilians very often use the imperfect instead: (I'd love to), (could you pick Júlia up?), (I'd travel all year). The conditional sounds more careful and polite: , .
To give advice, say (if I were you…): or, in speech, .
| Person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| / / / | |||
| / / |
Wishes: tomara que, espero que, quero que
When you wish or want something for someone else, the verb after goes into the present subjunctive: (I hope you manage), (I hope she likes it), (Do you want me to bring Davi?).
is a very common way to say “I hope” or “let's hope”. With the same person, use the infinitive: (I want to travel), but (I want you to travel). The subjunctive of is (from ), and of is (from ).
- Tomara que não chova amanhã.I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow.
- Espero que vocês gostem do presente.I hope you like the present.
- Minha mãe quer que eu estude medicina.My mother wants me to study medicine.
Se eu pudesse… Se eu tivesse…
To dream about something that isn't true now, Portuguese uses + a special form, the imperfect subjunctive, which you'll learn fully in chapter 11. For now, learn two chunks: (if I could) and (if I had). The second half uses the conditional or, in speech, the imperfect: . (If I had time, I'd learn to paint).
More in the grammar: The imperfect (pretérito imperfeito) · The conditional (futuro do pretérito) · The present subjunctive
New words
- aposentar-seto retire · : he retires next month; : retired
- a aposentadoriaretirement; pension
- aprenderto learn · + infinitive:
- pintarto paint
- viajar pelo Brasilto travel around Brazil
- o sonhodream
- tomara queI hope, let's hope · always + subjunctive:
- passar tempo comto spend time with
- o neto / a netagrandson / granddaughter · : grandchildren
- aliásby the way; in fact
- buscarto pick up, to fetch (someone) · : to pick someone up from school
- trazerto bring · present ; subjunctive ; conditional
- eu, no seu lugarif I were you · literally “I, in your place”
- aproveitarto enjoy, to make the most of · : to enjoy life
Practise
1.Complete: “Tomara que vocês … fazer as duas viagens.”
2.Complete with the conditional of : “What would you do?”
What would you do?
3.Complete with the subjunctive of : “Do you want me to bring Davi?”
Do you want me to bring Davi?
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.If I could, I'd travel all year.
5.Match the Portuguese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.Which sentence means “I'd love to see the Amazon” in everyday speech?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Eu gostaria de aprender a pintar.
I'd like to learn to paint.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.