нямаше да + Verb

The Negative Future in the Past

Level 3Sounds Like nâmaše da

To negate щях да, use нямаше да + the present tense: Нямаше да дойда без теб. (I would not have come without you.)

How It Works

1. The forms. Нямаше + да + the present tense of the main verb:

  • нямаше да дойда (I would not come / would not have come)
  • нямаше да дойдеш, нямаше да дойде
  • нямаше да дойдем, нямаше да дойдете, нямаше да дойдат

Compare the two negative futures: няма да for the future seen from now, нямаше да for the future seen from the past.

2. A plan that was not going to happen. From a point in the past, you look ahead: Утре нямаше да работя, но ме извикаха. (I wasn't going to work tomorrow, but they called me in.) This is the negative of the future in the past.

3. Would not, would not have. Very often it describes an imagined result that did not or does not happen:

  • Без помощта ти нямаше да успеем. (Without your help we would not have succeeded.)
  • Ако знаех, нямаше да питам. (If I knew, I wouldn't be asking.) See unreal present conditions.
  • Ако беше валяло, нямаше да излезем. (If it had rained, we would not have gone out.) See past counterfactual conditions.

4. A rarer form. In literary texts you may meet не щях да. It is uncommon and can be misread as did not want to, so use нямаше да in your own speech and writing.

Examples (6)

  1. Нямаше да дойда без теб.

    I would not have come without you.

  2. Без помощта ти нямаше да успеем.

    Without your help we would not have succeeded.

    Нямаше stays the same; only успеем shows the person.

  3. Утре нямаше да работя, но ме извикаха.

    I wasn't going to work tomorrow, but they called me in.

    A plan made in the past that has now changed.

  4. Ако знаех, нямаше да питам.

    If I knew, I wouldn't be asking.

  5. Ако беше валяло, нямаше да излезем.

    If it had rained, we would not have gone out.

  6. Никога нямаше да го позная.

    I would never have recognized him.

Common Mistakes

  • Changing нямаше to match the person.

    Нямах да дойда без теб.
    Нямаше да дойда без теб.

    Нямаше is fixed. The person is shown only by the main verb: дойда (I), дойдем (we).

  • Putting the main verb in a past tense.

    Нямаше да дойдох.
    Нямаше да дойда.

    After да the verb is always in the present tense form.

  • Using няма да for an imagined past result.

    Без помощта ти няма да успеем.
    Без помощта ти нямаше да успеем.

    Няма да успеем means we will not succeed. For would not have succeeded, use нямаше да.

How It Connects

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

нямаше да + VerbLevel 3The Negative Future in the Past

Learn This First

The negative future in the past combines both futures.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

няма