Conditional mood - Podmiňovací způsob¶

Basic information¶

The conditional mood is a periphrastic structure used in sentences to express a proposition whose validity depends on some condition.

Czech conditionals follow these principles:

The main verb is always in the past tense.
An auxiliary verb (bych ...) is used.
The auxiliary verbs are person/number-sensitive, i.e., their grammar depends on the subject of the sentence.
Negation is placed on the main verb, not the auxiliary. When a modal verb is used, negation is applied to it.

Bych (would)¶

English would has the following forms in Czech:

Person	Singular	Plural
1.	bych	bychom
2.	bys	byste
3.	by	by

Note

The conditional auxiliary bychom is widely used in the form bysme in colloquial Czech.

Examples for I would work. ...

Person	Singular	Plural
1.	Já bych pracoval. Já bych pracovala.	My bychom pracovali.
2.	Ty bys pracoval. Ty bys pracovala.	Vy byste pracoval. Vy byste pracovala. Vy byste pracovali.
3.	On by pracoval. Ona by pracovala.	Oni by pracovali.

Note

The auxiliary bych belongs in the 2^nd logical position in a sentence.

When the subject pronoun is omitted, the word order changes to keep the auxiliary as the second word:

Já bych pracoval. → Pracoval bych.

Chtěl bych (would like to)¶

For English I would like to + verb, the past tense of the modal verb chtít + bych is used, and the main verb remains in its infinitive form.

Já bych chtěl jít do kina. - I would like to go to the cinema.

Person	Singular	Plural
1.	já bych chtěl já bych chtěla	my bychom chtěli
2.	ty bys chtěl ty bys chtěla	vy byste chtěl vy byste chtěla vy byste chtěli
3.	on by chtěl ona by chtěla	oni by chtěli ony by chtěly ona by chtěla

Mohl bych (could)¶

For English I could + verb, the past tense of the modal verb moct + bych is used, and the main verb remains in its infinitive form.

Já bych to mohl udělat. - I could do that.

Person	Singular	Plural
1.	já bych mohl já bych mohla	my bychom mohli
2.	ty bys mohl ty bys mohla	vy byste mohl vy byste mohla vy byste mohli
3.	on by mohl ona by mohla	oni by mohli ony by mohly ona by mohla

Měl bych (should)¶

For English I should + verb, the past tense of the modal verb mít + bych is used, and the main verb remains in its infinitive form.

Já bych to měl udělat. - I should do that.

Person	Singular	Plural
1.	já bych měl já bych měla	my bychom měli
2.	ty bys měl ty bys měla	vy byste měl vy byste měla vy byste měli
3.	on by měl ona by měla	oni by měli ony by měly ona by měla

Kdybych (if)¶

The conjugation of kdybych is similar to bych:

Person	Singular	Plural
1.	kdybych	kdybychom
2.	kdybys	kdybyste
3.	kdyby	kdyby

Note

The conditional auxiliary kdybychom is widely used in the form kdybysme in colloquial Czech.

Since kdybych contains the component bych, which must be used in the second position, the entire word is placed at the beginning of the sentence to fulfill this rule.

The word kdybych is used in sentences with meanings equivalent to English:

Second conditional:

Kdybych vyhrál v loterii, koupil bych si nový dům.

If I won the lottery, I would buy a new house.
Third conditional:

Kdybys víc studoval, udělal bys tu zkoušku.

If you had studied more, you would have passed the exam.
Mixed conditional:

Kdybych studoval lékařství, byl bych teď doktor.

If I had studied medicine, I would be a doctor now.

Note

For zero and first conditional, words of the type bych are not used.

Zero conditional:

Když zahřejete vodu na 100 °C, začne vařit.

If you heat water to 100°C, it boils.
First conditional:

Když bude zítra pršet, zůstaneme doma. / Jestli bude zítra pršet, zůstaneme doma.

If it rains tomorrow, we will stay at home.

Extra

Když is more common for real conditions, while jestli is often used for uncertain conditions.

Abych ([in order] to)¶

The conjugation of abych is similar to bych:

Person	Singular	Plural
1.	abych	abychom
2.	abys	abyste
3.	aby	aby

Note

The conditional auxiliary abychom is widely used in the form abysme in colloquial Czech.

The word abych is used to:

Express purpose or intent:

Musím studovat, abych udělal zkoušku.

I must study so that I pass the exam.
Express a desired outcome:

Chci, abys byl zdravý.

I want you to be healthy.
Give reasons for an action:

Volám ti, abych se tě zeptal na tvůj názor.

I am calling you to ask for your opinion.
Express indirect commands or requests:

Řekli mi, abych přišel dříve.

They told me to come earlier.
Express fear or concern:

Bojím se, abych to nezapomněl.

I'm afraid that I might forget it.