Conditional Mood (Podmiňovací způsob)
The conditional in Czech is used to describe actions that would happen under certain conditions, to make polite requests, or to express hypothetical situations.
Mood:
- Conditional mood = hypothetical situations, politeness, “would” in English
Aspect:
- Imperfective = repeated, ongoing, or incomplete hypothetical actions
- Perfective = single, completed hypothetical actions
Voice:
- Active voice is the standard in everyday Czech conditionals.
Formation
The conditional is formed with the past participle (l-participle) + the conditional auxiliary “bych / bys / by / bychom / byste / by”.
In the 3rd person, the auxiliary often stands alone or after the verb.
Example verb: pracovat (“to work”)
| Person | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| já (I) | pracoval bych / pracovala bych | I would work |
| ty (you sg.) | pracoval bys / pracovala bys | you would work |
| on (he) | pracoval by | he would work |
| ona (she) | pracovala by | she would work |
| ono (it) | pracovalo by | it would work |
| my (we) | pracovali bychom | we would work |
| vy (you pl./formal) | pracovali byste | you would work |
| oni/ony (they) | pracovali/ly by | they would work |
Usage
- Hypothetical actions
- Kdybych měl čas, pracoval bych víc. (If I had time, I would work more.)
- Polite requests or offers
- Dal byste mi vodu? (Would you give me water?)
- Chtěl bych kávu. (I would like a coffee.)
- Imagined or unreal situations
- Na tvém místě bych tam nešel. (In your place, I wouldn’t go there.)
Examples
- Affirmative: Pracoval bych doma. (I would work at home.)
- Negative: Nepracoval by celý den. (He would not work all day.)
- Interrogative: Pracovala bys s námi? (Would you work with us?)
Notes
- The auxiliary particles (bych, bys, by, bychom, byste, by) never change their form.
- The auxiliary is often placed after the verb in Czech word order, unlike in English.
- Byl bych pracoval = I would have worked.
- Negatives are formed with ne- on the participle:
- pracoval bych → nepracoval bych.
Common Expressions
| Expression | Example |
|---|---|
| kdyby (if) | Kdybych byl doma, pomohl bych. (If I were home, I would help.) |
| rád bych (I would like) | Rád bych se učil česky. (I would like to study Czech.) |
| chtěl bych (I would like) | Chtěl bych čaj. (I would like tea.) |
| mohl by (could) | Mohl by přijít zítra. (He could come tomorrow.) |
Irregular Verbs
The conditional uses the same past participles as the past tense. Common irregulars:
- být (to be) → byl bych, byl bys, byl by, byli bychom, byli byste, byli by
- jít (to go) → šel bych, šel bys, šel by, šli bychom, šli byste, šli by
- mít (to have) → měl bych, měl bys, měl by, měli bychom, měli byste, měli by
- chtít (to want) → chtěl bych, chtěl bys, chtěl by, chtěli bychom, chtěli byste, chtěli by
