Breakdown of Я хотела бы отдельный счёт, пожалуйста.
я
I
хотеть
to want
пожалуйста
please
счёт
bill
бы
would (conditional particle) / concessive particle
отдельный
separate
Questions & Answers about Я хотела бы отдельный счёт, пожалуйста.
Why is the past tense verb хотела used when the person wants the bill right now?
This is how Russian forms polite requests! To say 'I would like', you use the past tense of the verb хотеть (to want) plus the particle бы. This creates the conditional mood, making the request softer and more polite than just saying 'I want'.
Does the ending of хотела mean the speaker is a woman?
Yes! Because the conditional uses the past tense, the verb must match the gender of the subject. A female speaker says я хотела бы, while a male speaker says я хотел бы.
Aren't отдельный счёт the direct object? Why didn't their endings change to the Accusative case?
They actually are in the Accusative case! The noun счёт is an inanimate masculine word. For inanimate masculine nouns, the Accusative case looks exactly the same as the Nominative (dictionary) form. Therefore, the adjective отдельный keeps its default ending too.
Does the word счёт only mean a restaurant bill?
It is a very common word with a few meanings! Besides a bill at a cafe or restaurant, счёт can also mean a bank account, or the score in a sports game. You can usually tell which one is meant from the context.
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