How to Use the Conditional Mood in Croatian

Understanding the Conditional Mood in Croatian

The conditional mood in Croatian is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes, or actions that depend on certain conditions. It is similar to the English "would" or "could" constructions.

When to Use the Conditional Mood

You use the conditional mood in Croatian to talk about:

• Hypothetical or unreal situations (e.g., If I had time, I would travel).
• Polite requests or suggestions.
• Wishes or desires.
• Actions dependent on certain conditions.

Forming the Conditional Mood in Croatian

The Croatian conditional mood is formed using the auxiliary verb bih (and its forms) plus the past participle of the main verb. The auxiliary verb agrees with the subject in person and number.

Here is the auxiliary verb biti (to be) in the conditional mood:

• ja bih (I would)
• ti bi (you would)
• on/ona/ono bi (he/she/it would)
• mi bismo (we would)
• vi biste (you plural/formal would)
• oni/one/ona bi (they would)

Examples of Conditional Sentences

Let's look at some examples using the verb raditi (to work):

• Ja bih radio (male) / radila (female) – I would work.
• Ti bi radio / radila – You would work.
• On bi radio – He would work.
• Mi bismo radili – We would work.
• Vi biste radili – You (plural) would work.
• Oni bi radili – They would work.

Notes on Gender and Number

The past participle changes according to the gender and number of the subject. For example, for the verb raditi:

• Masculine singular: radio
• Feminine singular: radila
• Neuter singular: radilo
• Masculine plural: radili
• Feminine plural: radile

Using Conditional with 'If' Clauses

Conditional sentences often use the word da (if) to introduce the condition. For example:

• Da imam vremena, putovao bih. (If I had time, I would travel.)
• Da si došao ranije, vidio bi ga. (If you had come earlier, you would have seen him.)

Common Phrases Using the Conditional Mood