Conditional Forms: Saying "Would Do"
To talk about hypothetical situations or what someone "would do," you use the conditional mood. This is formed using the past tense form of the verb (the -ł/-ła/-ło/-li/-ły form) followed by the conjugated conditional particle by. The particle by often appears directly after the verb or the subject.
- Formation: Past tense (l-form) + conjugated form of by (bym, byś, by, byśmy, byście, by)
- Examples: Ja czytałbym (m.) / czytałabym (ż.) tę książkę (I would read that book). On poszedłby do kina (He would go to the cinema). My zrobilibyśmy to wszystko razem (We would do that all together). Co chcielibyście? (What would you like? - using the past tense plural form for 'wy').