ако + Imperfect

Unreal Present Conditions

Level 3Sounds Like ako + minalo nesvʺršeno vreme

If I had time, I would come is Ако имах време, щях да дойда. The imperfect after ако shows that the situation is imagined.

How It Works

1. Real or imagined.

  • Real: Ако имам време, ще дойда. Maybe I will have time. See real conditions.
  • Imagined: Ако имах време, щях да дойда. I do not have time.

2. The result: two choices.

  • щях да + present, which changes for the person: щях, щеше, щеше, щяхме, щяхте, щяха. Ако тя имаше време, щеше да дойде.
  • бих + л-participle: бих, би, би, бихме, бихте, биха. Ако бях на твое място, бих отказал. This sounds a little more careful or polite.

3. Present or past meaning. The same sentence can also describe the past: Ако знаех, щях да ти кажа can mean If I knew or If I had known. Context decides. To make the past meaning clear, use ако бях + participle.

4. Perfective verbs. A perfective verb can also appear after ако in this form: Ако дойдеше, щеше да види (If he came, he would see). See the perfective imperfect.

5. Word order. The ако-clause can come first or second: Щях да дойда, ако имах време. When it comes first, put a comma after it.

Examples (6)

  1. Ако имах време, щях да дойда.

    If I had time, I would come.

  2. Ако бях на твое място, бих отказал.

    If I were in your place, I would refuse.

    The result uses the conditional бих + отказал.

  3. Ако живеехме на село, щяхме да имаме куче.

    If we lived in the countryside, we would have a dog.

  4. Ако тя говореше български, щеше да разбере.

    If she spoke Bulgarian, she would understand.

    Щеше agrees with тя.

  5. Ако знаех адреса, щях да ти го кажа.

    If I knew the address, I would tell you.

    In the right context this can also mean "If I had known".

  6. Какво би направил, ако имаше много пари?

    What would you do if you had a lot of money?

Common Mistakes

  • Mixing a real if-clause with an imagined result.

    Ако имам време, щях да дойда.
    Ако имах време, щях да дойда.

    With щях да in the result, the if-clause needs the imperfect имах. For a real possibility, say Ако имам време, ще дойда.

  • Using the future ще in the result.

    Ако имах време, ще дойда.
    Ако имах време, щях да дойда.

    An imagined condition needs щях да or бих in the result, not ще.

  • Not changing щях for the person.

    Ако той имаше време, щях да дойде.
    Ако той имаше време, щеше да дойде.

    Щях is only for аз. For той, тя and то, use щеше да.

How It Connects

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

ако + ImperfectLevel 3Unreal Present Conditions

Learn This First

Unreal present conditions combine ако with the future in the past.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

акощабъда