Conditional Perfect (Podmiňovací způsob – minulý)
The conditional perfect in Czech is used to describe actions that would have happened under certain conditions in the past.
It is less common in everyday speech and is used more in formal or literary contexts.
Mood:
- Conditional mood = hypothetical, “would have” situations in the past
Aspect:
- Imperfective = repeated or ongoing hypothetical past actions
- Perfective = single, completed hypothetical past actions
Voice:
- Active voice is the standard in everyday Czech conditionals.
Formation
The conditional perfect is formed with the past participle (l-participle) + the conditional auxiliary (bych, bys, by, bychom, byste, by) + the past tense of být (byl).
This means effectively: past participle + bych + byl.
Example verb: pracovat (“to work”)
| Person | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| já (I) | pracoval bych byl / pracovala bych byla | I would have worked |
| ty (you sg.) | pracoval bys byl / pracovala bys byla | you would have worked |
| on (he) | pracoval by byl | he would have worked |
| ona (she) | pracovala by byla | she would have worked |
| ono (it) | pracovalo by bylo | it would have worked |
| my (we) | pracovali bychom byli | we would have worked |
| vy (you pl./formal) | pracovali byste byli | you would have worked |
| oni/ony (they) | pracovali/ly by byli | they would have worked |
Usage
- Hypothetical past actions
- Kdybych měl čas, byl bych pracoval víc. (If I had had time, I would have worked more.)
- Regrets or missed opportunities
- Byl bych ti pomohl, kdybych tam byl. (I would have helped you if I had been there.)
- Unreal past conditions
- Udělali bychom to, kdybychom byli věděli. (We would have done it if we had known.)
Examples
- Affirmative: Byl bych pracoval doma. (I would have worked at home.)
- Negative: Nebyl by pracoval celý den. (He would not have worked all day.)
- Interrogative: Byla bys pracovala s námi? (Would you have worked with us?)
Notes
- This form is rare in modern Czech and is more common in older texts or very formal language.
- In everyday speech, speakers often simplify and just use the past conditional (pracoval bych) even when referring to a hypothetical past.
- Negatives are formed with ne-:
- pracoval bych byl → nepracoval bych byl.
Irregular Verbs
The auxiliary byl is irregular. Examples with common verbs:
- být (to be) → byl bych byl, byl bys byl, byl by byl, byli bychom byli, byli byste byli, byli by byli
- jít (to go) → šel bych byl, šel bys byl, šel by byl, šli bychom byli, šli byste byli, šli by byli
- mít (to have) → měl bych byl, měl bys byl, měl by byl, měli bychom byli, měli byste byli, měli by byli
