бы

See also Appendix:Variations of "bi"

Russian

Pronunciation

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Particle

бы, б (by, b) (conditional particle)

1. бы (often shortened to б) is a verbal particle used to render conditional and subjunctive patterns:

   Я говори́л — I spoke

   Я бы говори́л — I would (should) have spoken; I would speak; I might speak

   Я говори́л бы — I would (should) have spoken; I would speak; I might speak

N.B. — бы is the third-person singular aorist of быть (to be), an otherwise obsolete Russian tense (see Old Church Slavonic бꙑти).