Verbs: Conditional Mood

01

The Auxiliary

The conditional auxiliary is bih, bi, bi, bismo, biste, bi. Add the l-participle, which agrees in gender and number with the subject exactly as in the past tense.

• Trebala bih obući jaknu.

  I should put on a jacket.

• treba-la the participle, the same form the past tense uses, -la for a female speaker
• bih the conditional helper for I

Swap that one helper and the sentence moves between past and hypothetical: trebala sam is I had to, trebala bih is I should.

• Dala bih ti novac.

  I would give you the money.

The participle is the same one used in the past tense, so it agrees with the subject: radio bih (a man would do), radila bih (a woman would do).

02

Polite Requests and Wishes

The conditional softens a statement, making it more tentative than the plain present. It is the everyday way to give advice or state an opinion without pressing it.

• Ne bih to radila.

  I wouldn't do that.

• Mislim da bi trebao štedjeti.

  I think you should save money.

03

Hypothetical 'if' Sentences

For an unreal or imagined situation, Bosnian pairs a clause with kad or da (if) with a conditional main clause. Both clauses can carry the conditional.

• Kad bih bila bogata, imala bih veći stan.

  If I were rich, I would have a bigger apartment.

• Da si mi rekao, dala bih ti novac.

  If you had told me, I would have given you the money.

04

Purpose: 'da bih' and 'kako bih'

To say you do something in order to achieve a result, Bosnian uses da bih or kako bih plus the participle.

• Učim kako bih položila ispit.

  I am studying so that I pass the exam.

• Trebam dozvolu da bih vozio auto.

  I need a license in order to drive a car.

05

Softer and More Polite

Two shapes are worth having by heart. A conditional question makes a suggestion instead of a demand.

• Zašto ne bismo išli u restoran?

  Why don't we go to a restaurant?

And putting your disagreement in the conditional, with da sam na vašem mjestu ("if I were in your place") after it, turns a flat contradiction into advice.

• Ne bih to radila da sam na vašem mjestu.

  I wouldn't do that if I were in your place.

06

Polite 'I would like'

The conditional of htjeti or voljeti is the polite way to ask for or offer something - softer than the plain želim (I want).

• Voljela bih kafu.

  I would like a coffee.

• Htio bih čašu vode.

  I would like a glass of water.

Followed by da, the same verb reports a wish about someone else.

• Voljela bih da više štediš.

  I would like you to save more.

07

Word Order

Like the other auxiliaries, bih is a clitic: it cannot open a sentence, and it stands in second position, right after the first stressed word.

• Ja bih to napravio.

  I would do that.

• Zašto ne bismo išli u restoran?

  Why don't we go to a restaurant?