Breakdown of Мы хотели бы получить наличные.
мы
we
хотеть
to want
получить
to receive (perfective)
бы
would (conditional particle) / concessive particle
наличные
cash
Questions & Answers about Мы хотели бы получить наличные.
Why do we use хотели бы instead of just saying we want (мы хотим)?
Adding the particle бы to the past tense verb creates the conditional mood, meaning 'would like'. It is a polite way to make a request, which is much more natural for situations like talking to a bank teller or cashier than the direct мы хотим (we want).
Why is the verb хотели in the past tense if we are asking for cash right now?
In Russian, the conditional mood (expressing what you 'would' do or 'would' like) is always built using the past tense of the verb plus the particle бы. So, even for a present or future polite request, you must use the past tense form хотели to match the plural subject Мы.
Why is the perfective verb получить used here instead of the imperfective получать?
You use the perfective получить because you are focusing on a single, successful, and completed action: getting the money right now. If you were talking about a recurring action, like receiving cash every week, you would use the imperfective получать.
The word for cash, наличные, looks like a plural adjective. Is that right?
Yes! Наличные is an adjective that functions as a noun, and it is always used in the plural form to mean 'cash'. In this sentence, it is the direct object (Accusative case). Because it is an inanimate object, its Accusative plural form looks exactly the same as its Nominative plural form.
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