кога би ... би

Imagined Situations with Би

Level 4Sounds Like koga bi ... bi

To imagine a situation, use кога би + l-form for the condition and би + l-form for the result: Кога би имал време, би патувал повеќе. (If I had time, I would travel more.)

How It Works

The recipe.

  • Condition: кога би + l-form: кога би имал, кога би можела, кога би дошле
  • Result: би + l-form: би патувал, би дошла, би знаеле

Би has no person endings. The l-form agrees with the subject: Кога би имала пари, би купила стан (a woman speaking), Кога би живееле на море, би пливале секој ден (we). See the conditional with би and the l-form.

Кога means "if" here. With би, кога does not name a time. Кога би дошла means "if she came" or "if she were to come".

Order and negation. Either half can come first. When the кога half comes first, put a comma after it: Кога би имал време, би патувал повеќе or Би патувал повеќе кога би имал време. Не comes before би, and short pronouns come after it: Кога не би работел, би ти помогнал. (If I were not working, I would help you.)

Three kinds of "if".

  • Real and likely, ако with the present: Ако имам време, ќе дојдам.
  • Imagined, because it is unlikely or not true right now, кога би ... би: Кога би имал време, би дошол.
  • Not true, or it did not happen, да or ако with the imperfect: Да имав време, ќе дојдев. This is the usual pattern for a past event that did not happen.

Other ways to open the condition. The би result can also follow да with a present verb: Да имам пари, би си купил нова кола. (If I had money, I would buy a new car.) Ако with a present verb can also take a би result: Ако ми се јавите, би дошол. (If you called me, I would come.) You will also hear ако би with the l-form in the condition, but reference grammars do not treat that as standard, so use кога би there.

Examples (5)

  1. Кога би имал време, би патувал повеќе.

    If I had time, I would travel more.

    Word by Word: If would had time, would travelled more.

  2. Кога би можела, би дошла на свадбата.

    If I could, I would come to the wedding.

    Word by Word: If would could, would come to wedding-the.

    The l-forms end in -ла because the speaker is a woman.

  3. Кога би живееле на море, би пливале секој ден.

    If we lived by the sea, we would swim every day.

    Word by Word: If would lived on sea, would swum every day.

  4. Што би правел кога би бил милионер?

    What would you do if you were a millionaire?

    Word by Word: What would done if would been millionaire?

  5. Кога не би врнело, би оделе на прошетка.

    If it were not raining, we would go for a walk.

    Word by Word: If not would rained, would gone on walk.

    The weather verb врне has the neuter l-form врнело.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a present verb after би.

    Кога би имам време, би патувам повеќе.
    Кога би имал време, би патувал повеќе.

    Би is only followed by the l-form (имал, патувал), never by a present form such as имам.

  • Using masculine l-forms when the speaker is a woman.

    Кога би имал пари, би купил стан. (said by a woman)
    Кога би имала пари, би купила стан.

    The l-form agrees with the subject. A woman talking about herself uses the -ла forms in both halves.

How It Connects

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

кога би ... биLevel 4Imagined Situations with Би

Learn This First

Imagined situations combine the conditional and conditions.

Words in This Pattern