Question 1

Why is the verb just był in the first half, instead of the conditional byłby?

Accepted Answer

The conditional particle -by is already attached to the conjunction gdy to make gdyby (if). Because the particle is already present in the clause, the verb itself just takes the standard past tense form (był). Saying gdyby ... byłby is a common mistake but is grammatically incorrect in Polish.

Question 2

Could I swap nawet gdyby for nawet jeśli in this exact sentence?

Accepted Answer

Not without changing the verb tense and the meaning! Nawet gdyby requires the conditional mood because it is used for purely hypothetical or unreal situations (there is no marathon tomorrow). If you wanted to use nawet jeśli to express a real possibility, you would need the future indicative tense: Nawet jeśli jutro będzie maraton... which means "Even if there actually is a marathon tomorrow...".

Question 3

Why does the second clause use the neuter verb nie byłoby instead of nie byłbym (or nie byłabym) to mean "I wouldn't be"?

Accepted Answer

This is the conditional version of the impersonal phrase used for absence. In the present tense, "I am not here" is nie ma mnie. In the past, the verb becomes neuter: nie było mnie. To make it conditional ("I wouldn't be here"), you just add the -by particle to that neuter past tense form, resulting in nie byłoby mnie.

Question 4

Why is the pronoun mnie used in the second clause instead of ja?

Accepted Answer

Because sentences expressing physical absence or lack in Polish always require the genitive case. The structure acts impersonally, so literally it translates to something like "there wouldn't be of me". Mnie is the genitive form of ja.

Nawet gdyby jutro był maraton, nie byłoby mnie tam.

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