The conditional mood (-bym, -byś)

The conditional mood is used to talk about hypothetical situations, dreams, and things you would do if circumstances were different. In English, we use the word "would". In Polish, we create it by adding specific endings directly to the past tense form of a verb.

Forming the Conditional Mood

To build a conditional verb, take the 3rd person past tense form (which already includes gender) and add the conditional particle -by, followed by a personal ending:

• For "I" (masculine): past tense kupił
  • by
    • m = kupiłbym (I would buy)
• For "you" (masculine): past tense kupił
  • by
    • ś = kupiłbyś (you would buy)

Because it builds on the past tense, the conditional mood always agrees with the gender of the speaker or the person spoken to.

Hypothetical "If" (Gdyby)

To say "if" in a hypothetical scenario, use the word gdyby. In Polish, the personal endings (-m, -ś) attach to gdyby instead of the verb! The verb that follows stays in its base 3rd person past tense form.

• gdybym wygrał (if I won)
• gdybyś wygrał (if you won)

Imagining and Daydreaming

When daydreaming about these conditional situations, you will often use verbs like wyobrazić sobie (to imagine).

To ask or state what you would "most like" to do or where you would "most gladly" go, use the adverb najchętniej.

Expressing Dreams

To state what you dream of doing, use the verb marzyć (to dream). When connecting it to an action you want to perform, use the phrase marzyć o tym, żeby (literally: to dream about this, that).