Word
Przekażemy darowiznę, byleby ubrania nie miały rozdarć.
Meaning
We will pass on the donation provided only that the clothes have no tears.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Przekażemy darowiznę, byleby ubrania nie miały rozdarć.
mieć
to have
nie
not
ubranie
the clothing
darowizna
a donation
Questions & Answers about Przekażemy darowiznę, byleby ubrania nie miały rozdarć.
What does byleby mean in this sentence?
Byleby means as long as, provided that, or so long as.
In this sentence, it introduces a condition:
Przekażemy darowiznę, byleby ubrania nie miały rozdarć.
= We’ll donate it / make the donation, as long as the clothes don’t have any tears.
It often carries the sense of this is the one important condition.
Why is it miały and not mają or będą miały?
After words like byleby, żeby, and aby, Polish often uses a form that looks like the past tense, even when the meaning is present or future.
So nie miały here does not mean simple past didn’t have.
It means something more like:
- don’t have
- won’t have
- shouldn’t have
depending on context.
Polish does not have a separate subjunctive form like English sometimes does, so this past-looking form helps express a condition, wish, or requirement.
Why is the verb miały plural?