бы

See also: Appendix:Variations of "by"

Adyghe

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bəː]

• Audio

  (file)

Letter

бы • (bə) (lower case, upper case Бы)

1. The second of the Adyghe Cyrillic alphabet.

Noun

бы • (bə)

1. den
2. haunt
3. nest

Declension

declension of бы

case	singular	plural
nominative	быр (bər)	быхэр (bəxɛr)
ergative	бым (bəm)	быхэмэ (bəxɛmɛ)
instrumental	бы(м)кӏэ (bə(m)kʼɛ)	быхэ(м)кӏэ (bəxɛ(m)kʼɛ)
invertive	быу (bəwu)	быхыу (bəxəwu)

Russian

Alternative forms

• б (b) — abbreviation, especially after vowels
• кабы́ (kabý) — colloquial

Etymology

Inherited from Old East Slavic бꙑ (by), from Proto-Slavic *by.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bɨ]

• Audio

  (file)

Particle

бы • (by)

1. A verbal particle used to render conditional and subjunctive patterns

   Я говори́л(а). ― Ja govoríl(a). ― I spoke.

   Я бы говори́л(a). ― Ja by govoríl(a). ― I would (should) have spoken.; I would speak.; I might speak.

   • c. 1827–1828 (written), 1837 (published), Alexander Pushkin, Арап Петра Великого (Arap Petra Velikovo) (The Moor of Peter the Great), Chapter 4

     — Сказал бы словечко, да волк недалечко, — сказал, нахмурясь, Гаврила Афанасьевич.

     — Skazal by slovečko, da volk nedalečko, — skazal, naxmurjasʹ, Gavrila Afanasʹjevič.

     “I’d add a word or two of my own, but even the walls have ears,” said Gavrila Afanasevich, frowning.

Usage notes

• The particle бы is often shortened to б (b).
• The particle бы may appear in any place within a sentence except the beginning. In colloquial speech it can be heard used multiple times within the same clause, but this usage is considered erroneous.
• The particle бы is, in some expressions, omitted in colloquial settings. For example:

• словно бы → словно (бы)

Related terms

• е́сли бы то́лько (jésli by tólʹko)
• ка́к бы не (kák by ne)
• сло́вно бы (slóvno by)
• что́бы (štóby)