ak by
Should It Happen: Ak by
Ak by + l-form (with som, si, sme, ste after by) means if ... should, or if ... happened to: Ak by pršalo, zostaneme doma. The main clause can be a request, a future or a conditional.
How It Works
Three levels of condition.
- ak + a real tense: an open, real condition: Ak budete mať otázky, ozvite sa.
- ak by + l-form: a possible but less likely condition, or a more polite one: Ak by ste mali otázky, ozvite sa.
- keby + l-form: an imagined or unreal condition: Keby som mal čas, išiel by som.
See ak versus keby for the main contrast. Ak by sits between the two and is common in formal letters, emails and customer messages.
Forms. Ak by is two words, unlike keby. The verb is the l-form, as in the conditional: ak by som mal, ak by si mal, ak by mal / mala / malo, ak by sme mali, ak by ste mali, ak by mali. For we, the standard form is by sme, never bysme.
Polite vy. When you address one person with vy, the l-form is plural (see polite vy agreement): Pani Kováčová, ak by ste mali čas, zavolajte mi.
The main clause. After ak by, the main clause can be a request (ozvite sa nám), a future (zápas sa presunie) or a conditional (bol by som rád).
Examples (5)
- Ak by ste mali otázky, ozvite sa nám.
Should you have any questions, please get in touch with us.
Word by Word: If would you had questions, get-in-touch to-us.
- Ak by pršalo, zápas sa presunie na nedeľu.
If it should rain, the match will be moved to Sunday.
Word by Word: If would it-rained, match itself will-move to Sunday.
- Ak by si potreboval pomoc, zavolaj mi.
If you ever need help, call me.
Word by Word: If would you needed help, call me.
- Ak by sme vyrazili skôr, stihli by sme ešte obed.
If we set off earlier, we would still make it in time for lunch.
Word by Word: If would we set-off earlier, we-made-it would we still lunch.
- Bol by som rád, ak by ste mi poslali faktúru e-mailom.
I would appreciate it if you could send me the invoice by email.
Word by Word: I-was would I glad, if would you to-me sent invoice by-email.
Common Mistakes
Using a present-tense verb after ak by.
Ak by ste máte otázky, ozvite sa nám.Ak by ste mali otázky, ozvite sa nám.By always goes with the l-form: mali, not máte.
Using bysme instead of by sme.
Ak bysme vyrazili skôr, stihli by sme obed.Ak by sme vyrazili skôr, stihli by sme obed.Standard Slovak writes by sme as two words. Bysme is non-standard.
Using a singular l-form with polite vy.
Pani Kováčová, ak by ste mala čas, zavolajte mi.Pani Kováčová, ak by ste mali čas, zavolajte mi.With vy, even to one person, the l-form is plural: ste mali.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Before Should It Happen: ak by, learn If It Were So: keby. ak by combines ak with the conditional by.
Related Patterns
- akIf: Ak
Plain ak with a real tense presents the condition as open and real.
Level 2 - ak / kebyReal Versus Unreal Conditions
The main contrast between real and unreal conditions, which ak by sits between.
Level 4 - The Conditional Mood
Ak by uses the same by + l-form as the conditional.
Level 3 - Polite vy in the Past
Explains the plural l-form in ak by ste mali, even to one person.
Level 3 - v prípade, žeIn Case: V Prípade, Že
The formal if, which can also take by: v prípade, že by ste...
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice ak by in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Slovak lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
