poderíeis

Poderíeis is a verb form in Portuguese that represents the second-person plural conditional of the verb poder, meaning "you would be able." It expresses hypothetical ability or possibility and is most commonly found in European Portuguese and in more formal or literary contexts. In contemporary Brazilian Portuguese, the sense is typically conveyed with "vocês poderiam" or "podem," depending on the sentence.

Etymology and form: poderíeis is derived from the infinitive poder combined with the conditional ending for the second-person plural. The underlying verb poder itself comes from the Latin verb posse or potere, meaning to be able. The form poderíeis thus reflects the historical pattern of Romance languages to express conditional mood with -íeis for the second-person plural.

Usage: poderíeis appears in sentences that describe what would be possible under certain conditions. It can occur in subordinate clauses introduced by if (se) or other conditional contexts. Example usage in a hypothetical sentence might be: "Se tivésseis tempo, poderíeis visitar-nos." The form is relatively rare in everyday speech today and is more commonly encountered in written Portuguese, historical texts, or formal dialogue.

Comparison: the modern Brazilian Portuguese equivalent of the same meaning is usually "vocês poderiam" (you could/would be able to), while in European Portuguese other constructions such as "poderíeis" may still appear in formal writing or older texts. The choice between these forms can signal regional variety or register.

See also: poder (Portuguese verb), conditional mood in Portuguese, European Portuguese, vós.