Immediate Conditional
Along with the imperative, the conditional is one of Ukrainian's moods. The conditional is quite simple: it's used when the verb refers to something that would happen if certain conditions are/were met. It's often paired with "if," which in Ukrainian is expressed with якби, якщо б, коли б.
There are two types of conditional, which are tied with the verb tense. The first type is the immediate or "real" conditional, which uses future-future tense in Ukrainian (present-future in English. This directly refers to events that can definitely happen in the future if the conditions are met. This type normally uses the conjunction якщо. For example:
Якщо буде... (то) зробимо...
If it is... (then) we will do...
Hypothetical Conditional
The second conditional type is the hypothetical or "unreal" type, which refers to things that could have happened if the conditions had been met. Ukrainian uses perfective past-past tense for this type (past-conditional is used in English) and adds in the particle би or б. So:
Якби було... (то) ми зробили б... / ми би зробили...
If it were... (then) we would do...
For reference:
Іван зробив завдання. Ivan did his homework.
Іван би зробив завдання, якби мав час. Ivan would do his homework if he had the time.
This type of conditional uses якби, якщо б or коли б. Якби can also be used without an active verb, just an infinitive verb or without any verb at all. For example:
Якби мені, мамо, намисто, / То пішла б я завтра на місто - Taras Shevchenko
If, mother, I had a fine necklace, / I would go into town tomorrow.
Other Uses
Other more specific uses of the conditional include:| a possibility dependent on something else | ...коаліція є, бо якби її не було, то не було б і уряду | the coalition exists, for, if it didn't, there would be no government |
|---|---|---|
| a possibility which is desired or dreamed of | ...носив би тебе весь час на руках і цілував би, був би ніжним до тебе. На жаль, тебе нема, і все це – марні мрії... | I would treat you like royalty and would kiss you, I would be tender ... Alas, you're not here, and all this is vain dreaming |
| a command or request expressed politely or as a desirable action | Зайшов би ти до Максима, поговорив із ним, може б ми у нього завтра зібралися? | You couldn't call on Maksym and have a word with him? Could we perhaps meet at his place tomorrow? |
The perfect conditional "I had done" can be formed by combining the verb with the same form of the verb бути in the past. For example:
Якби вона була сказала, що їй потрібні гроші, ми б їй допомогли.
If she had said she needed money, we would have helped her.
This construction, however, rather than denoting a timeframe (possibility or conditionality further back in the past) tends to suggest irreversibility. That is, the action had taken place, but then it was too late to do anything about it.