Two kinds of conditionals
Russian distinguishes between real conditions ('if it rains, I'll stay home') and hypothetical / counterfactual conditions ('if I had time, I'd read'). The first uses normal tenses; the second uses the past tense + the particle бы.
Real conditions: если + normal tense
When the condition is real or possible: - Present + present: Если ты говоришь по-русски, я понимаю. (If you speak Russian, I understand.) - Future + future: Если ты прочитаешь книгу, ты поймёшь. (If you read the book, you'll understand.) - Past + past: Если он был дома, он работал. (If he was at home, he was working.) The two clauses are separated by a comma.
Hypothetical / unreal: past + бы
For things that aren't true / would be true if circumstances differed: Если бы у меня было время, я бы читал. = If I had time, I would read. Key points: - если бы (not just если) - Past tense in both clauses - бы appears in BOTH clauses (one бы after если, one in the result clause, usually after the subject)
'бы' is the conditional/subjunctive marker
On its own, бы + past tense expresses 'would do': - Я бы читал. = I would read. - Анна бы пришла. = Anna would come. This works for wishes too: Я бы хотел чай = I would like (some) tea — softer/politer than Я хочу чай.
When 'бы' floats
The position of бы in the result clause is flexible. It usually goes after the subject or right next to a verb. All of these are fine: - Я бы пошёл в школу. - Я пошёл бы в школу. - Пошёл бы я в школу. (more emphatic) Don't worry about choosing — copy what feels natural after seeing more examples.
