Bi + the -l participle: politeness, wishes and 'if only'
The conditional in Slovenian is assembled from two parts you already own: the particle bi plus that same -l participle that built the past tense. Rad bi govoril z zdravnikom — I would like to talk to the doctor. For example: “Rad bi se naročil pri osebnem zdravniku” — I would like to register with a GP. A rule from the Slovenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The conditional in Slovenian is assembled from two parts you already own: the particle bi plus that same -l participle that built the past tense. Rad bi govoril z zdravnikom — I would like to talk to the doctor.
The pleasant headline: bi never changes for person. One word for all six forms plus the dual: jaz bi šel, ti bi šel, midva bi šla, oni bi šli. Only the participle changes — by gender and number, as in the past. A rare spot where Slovenian grammar is simpler than the English juggling of would, should and could.
The first and most frequent job of bi is politeness. At the pharmacy, at the bank, at the doctor's, a Slovenian almost never says 'I want': Rad bi dvignil denar instead of Hočem dvigniti denar. The phrase rad bi is literally 'glad would', and it follows the gender and number of the speaker: a woman says rada bi, two or more people radi bi. Even politer is bi lahko: Bi lahko ponovili? — could you repeat that?
The second job is the unreal condition. Here bi stands in both halves: Če bi se učil, bi opravil izpit — if I had studied, I would have passed the exam. Compare the real condition you already know: Če se učim, opravim izpit — there is no bi anywhere. English marks the same line ('if I study' / 'if I studied'), so there is nothing new to learn — just do not forget the second bi.
And the third, smaller one: bi softens advice and guesses. Na tvojem mestu bi vzel kredit — in your place I would take a loan. To bi bilo predrago — that would be too expensive.
Table
| who | conditional | English |
|---|---|---|
| I (m.) | bi šel | I would go |
| I (f.) | bi šla | I would go |
| we two | bi šla | the two of us would go |
| we | bi šli | we would go |
| a polite request | rad bi … | I would like to … |
| a polite question | bi lahko …? | could you …? |
| an unreal condition | če bi …, bi … | if … , … would … |
By example
- Rad bi se naročil pri osebnem zdravnikuI would like to register with a GP
- Če bi imel več prihrankov, bi kupil stanovanjeIf I had more savings, I would buy an apartment
- Bi lahko povedali, kje je sprejemna pisarna?Could you tell me where the reception desk is?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Bi + the -l participle: how does it work in Slovenian?
The conditional in Slovenian is assembled from two parts you already own: the particle bi plus that same -l participle that built the past tense. Rad bi govoril z zdravnikom — I would like to talk to the doctor.
What does it look like in an example sentence Slovenian?
“Rad bi se naročil pri osebnem zdravniku” — I would like to register with a GP. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.