B1 · Intermediário Capítulo 32

Conditionals and Hypotheticals

1 Regras totais
10 exemplos
1 min
Regras neste capítulo Prática rápida

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock the power of 'what if' and express your deepest dreams using the simple particle 'бы'.

  • Construct hypothetical sentences using the particle 'бы'.
  • Express wishes and desires about the present and future.
  • Give polite advice using the 'If I were you' structure.
Master the logic of Russian hypotheticals with one tiny word.

O que você vai aprender

Forming 'if' clauses and hypothetical situations. Using the subjunctive mood.

Learning Objectives

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

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to formulate complex 'if-then' sentences to describe unreal or hypothetical situations.
  2. 2
    By the end you will be able to give advice to friends using the conditional mood naturally.

Exemplos-chave (2)

1

Я бы купил этот телефон, но он слишком дорогой.

I would buy this phone, but it's too expensive.

Condicional em Russo: Como usar o 'seria/faria' (бы)
2

Если бы у меня было время, я бы посмотрел этот сериал.

If I had time, I would watch this series.

Condicional em Russo: Como usar o 'seria/faria' (бы)

Dicas e truques (1)

🎯

The 'Double Бы' Rule

In English, we say 'If I had money, I would buy it.' In Russian, you MUST use бы in both parts: 'Если БЫ у меня были деньги, я БЫ купил это.'
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Condicional em Russo: Como usar o 'seria/faria' (бы)

Vocabulário-chave (7)

если if бы would / conditional particle желание desire / wish возможность opportunity / possibility советовать to advise ситуация situation мечтать to dream

Real-World Preview

banknote

Winning the Lottery

Review Summary

  • Если бы + [Past Tense], [Subject] + бы + [Past Tense]

Erros comuns

You must use 'бы' in BOTH the 'if' clause and the 'result' clause. Also, the result must be in the past tense form, not the future.

Wrong: Если я бы знал, я скажу тебе.
Correto: Если бы я знал, я бы сказал тебе.

Learners often try to use the present tense. Russian conditionals strictly require the past tense form after 'бы'.

Wrong: Если бы я имею время...
Correto: Если бы у меня было время...

The particle 'бы' cannot be used with present tense verbs. It only functions with the infinitive (in some cases) or the past tense.

Wrong: Я бы читаю эту книгу.
Correto: Я бы прочитал эту книгу.

Next Steps

Fantastic work! You've just mastered one of the most expressive parts of Russian grammar. Being able to talk about 'what if' makes you a much more engaging conversationalist.

Write down 5 things you would do if you won a free trip to Russia.

Practice saying 'На вашем месте, я бы...' (In your place, I would...) followed by different advice.

Continue to: Participles and Gerunds

Prática rápida (2)

Find and fix the mistake in this 'if-then' sentence.

Find and fix the mistake:

Если я был дома, я бы поспал.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Если бы я был дома, я бы поспал.
In Russian conditional sentences, бы must appear in both the 'if' clause and the 'then' clause.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Condicional em Russo: Como usar o 'seria/faria' (бы)

Which sentence is correct for a female speaker?

Choose the grammatically correct sentence:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Я бы хотела пойти.
Women must use the feminine past tense ending -ла.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Condicional em Russo: Como usar o 'seria/faria' (бы)

Score: /2

Perguntas comuns (2)

It doesn't have a direct translation as a word, but it functions like the English 'would'. It turns a factual statement into a hypothetical one.
Usually right after the verb or after the subject. It's flexible, but я бы хотел or я хотел бы are the most common placements.
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Participles and Gerunds
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