desejariam

Desejariam is a verb form in Portuguese that expresses conditional desire. It is the third-person plural of the verb desejar in the conditional mood, and it can correspond to “they would desire” or, with the subject vocês, “you all would desire.” The form is used to describe actions or states that depend on a hypothetical condition or to express polite or tentative desire.

Formation works as a regular pattern for -ar verbs in the Portuguese conditional. From the infinitive desejar, the endings are: eu desejaria, tu desejarias, ele desejaria, nós desejaríamos, vós desejaríeis, eles desejariam. In practice, vós forms are uncommon in modern usage, especially outside formal or literary contexts; the corresponding form with vocês is desejariam.

Usage and examples illustrate its function. Examples include: Eles desejariam viajar se tivessem dinheiro. (They would like to travel if they had money.) Eles desejariam saber a verdade. (They would like to know the truth.) Eles desejariam que a reunião fosse adiada. (They would wish that the meeting be postponed.) The conditional mood is often used with a subordinating clause introduced by se or que to express hypothetical scenarios or polite requests.

Etymology and related forms: desejar comes from the Latin desiderare, meaning to long for or desire. In everyday speech, the conditional desejar is sometimes substituted by gostariam (they would like), especially in informal contexts, though desejariam remains correct and formal in appropriate registers.

See also: desejo, desejar, desejo (noun forms); other verbs in the Portuguese conditional.