быbefore or after verb

[Loren Billings]

Here's a classic example of the need for more linguistic training out
there: _бы_ is a clitic. As such, it can be placed after the first
phonological word or after the verb. If the verb happens to be the
first phonological word, then there really isn't any choice. Thus:

Я купил бы ...
Я бы купил ...

Хотелось бы ...
*Бы хотелось ...

This is probably why you don't see capitalized _Бы_! The positioning
(and capitalization) of Y/N-interrogative _ли_ is the same. And if,
you might ask, what the relative order of the two clitics is if they
co-occur, see my Gmail address!

--

Loren A. Billings, Ph.D.
Associate professor of linguistics
Department of Foreign Languages and Literature
National Chi Nan University
Puli, Nantou County 545 Taiwan

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