калі б / каб + Unreal Condition

Unreal Conditions with Калі Б and Каб

Level 4Sounds Like kalí b í kab umovy

Калі б я ведаў, я б сказаў. means both If I knew, I would tell you and If I had known, I would have told you.

How It Works

A real condition uses калі with an ordinary tense: Калі будзе час, я прыйду. (If I have time, I will come.) An unreal condition talks about something that is not true, or did not happen.

Pattern.

  • If-clause: калі б + past-tense form.
  • Result clause: past-tense form + б or бы. This is the conditional.

Калі б у мяне быў час, я б паехаў з вамі. (If I had time, I would go with you.)

No tense of its own. Калі б ты патэлефанавала раней, мы б цябе пачакалі means If you had called earlier, we would have waited for you. The same form could describe a present situation. Context and words like учора or зараз show which one is meant.

Б or бы. Write б after a vowel and бы after a consonant: калі б, я б сказаў, сказаў бы. Калі ends in a vowel, so it is always калі б.

Каб. In speech and in literature, каб can replace калі б. It already contains б, so do not add another: Каб я меў час, я б прыйшоў. With не it means if it weren't for: Каб не ты, я б заблудзіўся. (If it weren't for you, I would have got lost.)

То and дык. The result clause may start with то or дык: Калі б ты папрасіў, дык я б дапамог.

Negation. Put не before the verb: Калі б не дождж, мы б пайшлі гуляць. (If it weren't for the rain, we would go for a walk.)

Examples (6)

  1. Калі б я ведаў, я б сказаў.

    If I knew, I would tell you. / If I had known, I would have told you.

    Word by Word: If would I knew, I would said.

  2. Калі б у мяне быў час, я б паехаў з вамі.

    If I had time, I would go with you.

    Word by Word: If would at me was time, I would went with you.

  3. Калі б ты патэлефанавала раней, мы б цябе пачакалі.

    If you had called earlier, we would have waited for you.

    Word by Word: If would you called earlier, we would you waited.

  4. Каб я меў час, я б прыйшоў.

    If I had time, I would come.

    Word by Word: If I had time, I would came.

  5. Каб не ты, я б заблудзіўся.

    If it weren't for you, I would have got lost.

    Word by Word: If not you, I would got-lost.

  6. Што б ты зрабіла, калі б выйграла мільён?

    What would you do if you won a million?

    Word by Word: What would you did, if would won million?

    Said to a woman. To a man: Што б ты зрабіў, калі б выйграў мільён?

Common Mistakes

  • Using the future or present after калі б.

    Калі б я буду мець час, я б прыйшоў.
    Калі б я меў час, я б прыйшоў.

    After калі б and каб, the verb always takes the past-tense form, even when you mean now or later.

  • Leaving б out of the result clause.

    Калі б я ведаў, я сказаў.
    Калі б я ведаў, я б сказаў.

    Without б, я сказаў states a real past fact: I said it. The result of an unreal condition needs б or бы.

  • Adding б after каб.

    Каб бы я меў час, я б прыйшоў.
    Каб я меў час, я б прыйшоў.

    Каб already contains the particle б. Use either калі б or каб, not both.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

калі б / каб + Unreal ConditionLevel 4Unreal Conditions with Калі Б and Каб

Learn This First

Unreal conditions need the conditional and real conditions.

Words in This Pattern

ббыкабкалі