бы

• IPA^(key): [bəː]

• Audio

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бы • (bə) (lower case, upper case Бы)

1. The second of the Adyghe Cyrillic alphabet.

бы • (bə)

1. den
2. haunt
3. nest

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

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

• IPA^(key): [bɨ]

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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.

• 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)

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

• → Kildin Sami: пэ (pe)