Лучше бы я не забыл варежки дома, тогда руки не дрожали бы от мороза.

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Breakdown of Лучше бы я не забыл варежки дома, тогда руки не дрожали бы от мороза.

• дома: at home
• не: not
• от: from

Questions & Answers about Лучше бы я не забыл варежки дома, тогда руки не дрожали бы от мороза.

What does лучше бы mean here?

Лучше бы is a very common way to express regret or “it would have been better if…”.

In this sentence, Лучше бы я не забыл варежки дома means something like:

• I wish I hadn’t forgotten my mittens at home
• It would have been better if I hadn’t left my mittens at home

So although лучше literally means better, the whole phrase лучше бы + past tense often works like English I wish... in situations of regret.

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Why is бы used here?

Бы is the particle that helps form the conditional/subjunctive meaning in Russian.

It often appears in sentences about:

• hypothetical situations
• unreal situations
• wishes
• regrets
• consequences that did not actually happen

Here the speaker is talking about an unreal past situation:

• In reality, they did forget the mittens.
• Now they are imagining the better alternative.

So лучше бы я не забыл... means if only I hadn’t forgotten...

And руки не дрожали бы... means my hands wouldn’t be shaking...

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Why is забыл in the past tense after бы?