B2 · Upper Intermediate Chapter 50

Subjunctive and Purpose

1 Total Rules
1 min
Rules in This Chapter Quick Practice

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Master the art of expressing purpose and wishes using the versatile 'aby' conjunction.

  • Connect clauses to express intent or purpose.
  • Conjugate verbs following 'aby' using conditional forms.
  • Express polite wishes or requests effectively.
Unlock the power of purpose with 'aby'.

What You'll Learn

Using 'aby' to express purpose and wishes. Learn how 'aby' conjugates like the conditional.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Construct complex sentences expressing purpose and personal desire using the conditional mood after 'aby'.

Tips & Tricks (1)

💡

The Infinitive Shortcut

If the subject is the same, don't use 'aby'. Just use the infinitive. It's cleaner and more natural.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjunction 'Aby' and Person Endings

Key Vocabulary (5)

aby so that / in order to přát si to wish for chtít to want účel purpose dosáhnout to achieve

Real-World Preview

briefcase

Professional Request

Review Summary

  • Main Clause + aby + Conditional Verb

Common Mistakes

You don't need the personal pronoun 'ty' because the verb ending '-s' already indicates the person.

Wrong: Chci, aby ty jsi šel.
Correct: Chci, abys šel.

You must use the conditional form (pracoval) after 'aby', not the present tense.

Wrong: Dělám to, aby on pracuje.
Correct: Dělám to, aby on pracoval.

While the order is technically possible, putting the purpose clause second is much more natural in Czech.

Wrong: Abych mohl jít, musím mít čas.
Correct: Musím mít čas, abych mohl jít.

Next Steps

Fantastic work! You have navigated the intricacies of the Czech subjunctive. Keep practicing, and these forms will become second nature.

Write a short paragraph about your dream job using 'aby'.

Continue to: Complex Prepositions

Quick Practice (3)

Fix the mistake.

Find and fix the mistake:

Chci, aby já jdu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Chci, abych šel.
Past tense required.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjunction 'Aby' and Person Endings

Fill in the correct form of 'aby'.

Chci, ___ přišel.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: abys
The subject is 'ty' (you), so use 'abys'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjunction 'Aby' and Person Endings

Choose the correct sentence.

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Chci, abys šel.
Must use past tense with person marker.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Conjunction 'Aby' and Person Endings

Score: /3

Common Questions (2)

It's a grammatical requirement for the subjunctive mood in Czech. Think of it as a 'hypothetical' marker.
No, never. It will always be incorrect.
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