Present Conditional (Kondicionál prítomný)
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use the particle 'by' combined with the past tense form of the verb to express hypothetical situations or polite requests.
- Add 'by' to the past tense: 'Ja by som robil' (I would do).
- The particle 'by' stays constant, but the verb changes for person.
- Use it for wishes, polite requests, and imaginary scenarios.
Conjugation of 'robiť' (to do) in Conditional
| Person | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
|
Ja
|
robil by som
|
nerobil by som
|
|
Ty
|
robil by si
|
nerobil by si
|
|
On/Ona/Ono
|
robil by
|
nerobil by
|
|
My
|
robili by sme
|
nerobili by sme
|
|
Vy
|
robili by ste
|
nerobili by ste
|
|
Oni/Ony
|
robili by
|
nerobili by
|
Meanings
The present conditional is used to express actions that are dependent on a condition, hypothetical states, or to make polite requests.
Hypothetical
Expressing what would happen under certain conditions.
“Šiel by som von, keby nepršalo.”
“Čítal by som tú knihu, keby bola zaujímavá.”
Politeness
Softening requests or questions.
“Chcel by som kávu.”
“Mohol by si mi pomôcť?”
Wishes
Expressing desire for something currently not true.
“Bol by som radšej doma.”
“Chcel by som byť v Bratislave.”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Affirmative
|
Past + by + particle
|
Šiel by som
|
|
Negative
|
ne- + Past + by + particle
|
Nešiel by som
|
|
Question
|
by + Past + Subject
|
Šiel by si?
|
|
Polite Request
|
Chcel by som + Infinitive
|
Chcel by som jesť
|
|
Conditional Clause
|
Keby + Past
|
Keby som mal
|
|
Short Answer
|
By som / Nebol by som
|
Bol by si? - Bol by som.
|
Formalitätsspektrum
Chcel by som si objednať kávu. (Ordering in a cafe)
Chcel by som kávu. (Ordering in a cafe)
Dal by som si kávu. (Ordering in a cafe)
Kávičku by som si dal. (Ordering in a cafe)
Conditional Usage Map
Functions
- Politeness Polite requests
- Hypothesis What if
- Wishes Desires
Beispiele nach Niveau
Chcel by som kávu.
I would like a coffee.
Mohol by si mi pomôcť?
Could you help me?
Bol by som šťastný.
I would be happy.
Šiel by som domov.
I would go home.
Kúpil by som si tú knihu.
I would buy that book for myself.
Čo by si robil?
What would you do?
Nešiel by som tam.
I would not go there.
Vedel by si to?
Would you know it?
Keby som mal čas, šiel by som do kina.
If I had time, I would go to the cinema.
Boli by sme radi, keby ste prišli.
We would be glad if you came.
Vedel by som ti pomôcť, keby si chcel.
I would be able to help you if you wanted.
Kúpili by si to, keby to bolo lacnejšie.
They would buy it if it were cheaper.
Keby som bol býval vedel, nebol by som tam chodil.
If I had known, I would not have gone there.
Na tvojom mieste by som to nerobil.
In your place, I would not do that.
Bol by to zaujímavý projekt, keby mal financie.
It would be an interesting project if it had funding.
Kto by to bol povedal?
Who would have said that?
Keby sa bol býval narodil v inej dobe, bol by sa stal umelcom.
Had he been born in another era, he would have become an artist.
Nevedno, či by sa to bolo stalo bez tvojej pomoci.
It is unknown whether it would have happened without your help.
Keby boli bývali opatrnejší, boli by sa vyhli problémom.
Had they been more careful, they would have avoided problems.
Keby som bol býval na tvojom mieste, bol by som konal inak.
Had I been in your place, I would have acted differently.
Keby nebolo bývalo tvojej včasnej intervencie, bol by bol celý systém skolaboval.
Had it not been for your timely intervention, the whole system would have collapsed.
Keby boli bývali vedeli o rizikách, boli by boli konali obozretnejšie.
Had they known about the risks, they would have acted more cautiously.
Keby sa bol býval nebol dopustil tej chyby, bol by bol úspešný.
Had he not committed that error, he would have been successful.
Keby boli bývali chceli, boli by boli mohli prísť skôr.
Had they wanted to, they could have come earlier.
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners mix up 'budem' (will) and 'by som' (would).
Adding 'by' inside the 'keby' clause.
Using present tense instead of past tense for conditional.
Häufige Fehler
Ja by robím
Ja by som robil
Ja by som robiť
Ja by som robil
Ja by som robil by
Ja by som robil
Ja by som robil som
Ja by som robil
On by robil
On by robil
My by sme robili
My by sme robili
Vy by ste robili
Vy by ste robili
Keby som mal, šiel by som
Keby som mal, šiel by som
Keby som by mal
Keby som mal
Keby som mal, šiel som
Keby som mal, šiel by som
Keby som bol býval mal
Keby som bol býval mal
Keby som mal, šiel by som bol
Keby som mal, bol by som šiel
Keby som mal, šiel som bol
Keby som mal, bol by som šiel
Keby som mal, by som šiel
Keby som mal, šiel by som
Satzmuster
Chcel by som ___.
Keby som mal ___, šiel by som ___.
Bol by som ___, keby ___.
Mohol by si mi ___?
Real World Usage
Chcel by som kávu.
Bol by som rád, keby som mohol pracovať u vás.
Šiel by si von?
Mohol by si mi poradiť cestu?
Páčilo by sa mi to.
Chcel by som si objednať pizzu.
Use 'by' for politeness
No 'by' in 'keby'
Past tense is key
Be polite
Smart Tips
Always use 'Chcel by som' instead of 'Chcem'.
Use 'Mohol by si' to soften the request.
Use 'Keby som mal...' to start your dream sentence.
Use 'Na tvojom mieste by som...' for a natural tone.
Aussprache
Particle 'by'
Pronounced as a short 'bi'.
Rising
Mohol by si? ↗
Polite question
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Remember: 'BY' is the key to the 'WOULD' door.
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a 'BY' sign hanging on a door that leads to a dream world. Every time you want to say 'would', you walk through that door.
Rhyme
Add 'by' to the past, make the dream last.
Story
Peter wanted a car. He said 'Kúpil by som auto' (I would buy a car). He added 'by' to the past tense and suddenly, the car appeared in his imagination. Now he uses 'by' for all his wishes.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Write 5 sentences about what you would do if you won the lottery.
Kulturelle Hinweise
Politeness is highly valued. Using the conditional is the standard way to show respect.
The conditional 'by' particle is a shortened form of the old Slavic 'byti' (to be).
Gesprächseinstiege
Čo by si robil, keby si vyhral milión?
Chcel by si ísť na dovolenku?
Vedel by si mi poradiť?
Keby si mohol, zmenil by si niečo?
Tagebuch-Impulse
Häufige Fehler
Test Yourself
Ja ___ chcel ísť domov.
Which sentence is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Ja by robil.
by / som / ísť / chcel
My ___ robili.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Chcem ísť.
A: Chceš kávu? B: ___.
Score: /8
Ubungsaufgaben
8 exercisesJa ___ chcel ísť domov.
Which sentence is correct?
Find and fix the mistake:
Ja by robil.
by / som / ísť / chcel
My ___ robili.
Match: Ja, Ty, My, Vy
Chcem ísť.
A: Chceš kávu? B: ___.
Score: /8
FAQ (8)
No, always use the past tense form.
The particle 'by' is the same, but the auxiliary 'som/si/sme/ste' changes.
'Keby' is a conjunction meaning 'if', and it doesn't take 'by'.
Add 'ne-' to the verb: 'nerobil by som'.
It is used in both formal and informal contexts.
No, use the future tense for the future.
It is quite logical once you know the past tense.
It will sound unnatural, so practice the conjugation.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Condicional
Slovak uses a particle; Spanish uses conjugation.
Conditionnel
Slovak uses a particle; French uses verb endings.
Konjunktiv II
German uses infinitive; Slovak uses past tense.
Tara form
Japanese is agglutinative; Slovak is analytic.
Law
Arabic is a conjunction; Slovak is a particle.
Hui
Chinese uses modal verbs; Slovak uses a particle.
