Conditional with б/бы
The Conditional with Б and Бы
Я б пайшоў. (I would go.) Ён бы дапамог. (He would help.) Мы паехалі б. (We would go.) Past form plus б or бы means would.
How It Works
The conditional mood says what would happen, or would have happened, if things were different. It has two parts:
- the past-tense form of the verb, which agrees with the subject in gender and number: пайшоў (man), пайшла (woman), пайшло (neuter), пайшлі (plural and polite вы). See masculine past in -ў and feminine and plural past.
- the particle бы or б. Write бы after a word ending in a consonant, including ў and й: Ён бы дапамог. Я пайшоў бы. Write б after a word ending in a vowel: Я б пайшоў. Мы паехалі б.
Where it goes. The particle is not tied to one place. It usually follows the verb or the first word of the clause, often a pronoun: Я б пайшоў and Я пайшоў бы mean the same.
No tense. Я б пайшоў can mean I would go (now or later) or I would have gone (earlier). Context decides: Калі б я ведаў, я б сказаў. means If I knew, I would say, or If I had known, I would have said. For whole if-sentences see unreal conditions with калі б.
Negation. Put не right before the verb: Я б не пайшоў. (I would not go.)
Other uses. With state words the verb is neuter: Было б добра. (It would be good.) The conditional also softens requests and wishes, as in хацеў бы (I would like), and it appears after каб: каб with the past tense.
Examples (6)
- Я б пайшоў у кіно, але ў мяне няма часу.
I would go to the cinema, but I don't have time.
Word by Word: I would went to cinema, but at me no time.
Said by a man. Б follows я, which ends in a vowel.
- Ён бы дапамог нам.
He would help us.
Word by Word: He would helped us.
Бы follows ён, which ends in a consonant.
- Мы паехалі б на мора.
We would go to the sea.
Word by Word: We went would to sea.
- Што б ты зрабіла на маім месцы?
What would you do in my place?
Word by Word: What would you did in my place?
Asked of a woman, so the feminine зрабіла.
- Было б добра крыху адпачыць.
It would be good to rest a little.
Word by Word: Was would good a-little to-rest.
- Калі б я ведаў, я б сказаў.
If I had known, I would have said so.
Word by Word: If would I knew, I would said.
The same sentence can also mean If I knew, I would say.
Common Mistakes
Using a present or future form instead of the past form.
Я б пайду ў кіно.Я б пайшоў у кіно.The conditional is always built from the past-tense form, even when it refers to now or later.
Writing бы after a vowel.
Мы паехалі бы на мора.Мы паехалі б на мора.The spelling rule is б after a vowel and бы after a consonant. Паехалі ends in і, so б.
Letting the verb disagree with the subject.
Яна б пайшоў.Яна б пайшла.The past form still agrees in gender and number: пайшла for яна.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The conditional follows the past tense.
Related Patterns
- калі б / каб + Unreal ConditionUnreal Conditions with Калі Б and Каб
Whole if-sentences about unreal situations use the conditional in both parts.
Level 4 - хацеў быPolite Wishes with Хацеў Бы
The most common polite use of the conditional.
Level 3 - Masculine Past Tense in -ў
The conditional is built on the past-tense form.
Level 2 - каб + Past TenseIndirect Commands and Wishes with Каб
After каб the verb also takes the past-tense form.
Level 4 - хоць быIf Only and at Least with Хоць Бы
Another expression built with бы, for wishes and minimums.
Level 5
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Conditional with б/бы in Bubblegum
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