Questions & Answers about Htela bih da kupim poklon danas, a cveće sutra.
Why is it htela bih and not just hoću?
Htela bih is a polite, softer way to say I would like.
- hoću = I want / I will
- htela bih = I would like
In this sentence, Htela bih da kupim... sounds natural and polite, like when making plans or saying what you would like to do.
Also, htela shows the speaker is female. A male speaker would say:
- Hteo bih da kupim poklon danas, a cveće sutra.
So:
- htela bih = feminine
- hteo bih = masculine
What exactly does bih mean here?
Bih is the conditional auxiliary, used to form the equivalent of would in English.
So:
- htela = wanted
- bih = would
Together, htela bih literally comes from something like I would have wanted, but in modern Serbian it functions as I would like.
This is a very common pattern:
- Hteo bih kafu. = I’d like a coffee.
- Htela bih da idem. = I’d like to go.
Why is there da kupim instead of an infinitive like to buy?