Quote Originally Posted by Antonio1986 View Post
"Почему он умер?! Если б было можно увидеть его, подбежать к нему, обнять и поблагодарить его!" - Мария сказала
Translation: "Why he died. If it would have been (or just "would be"???) possible to see him, run to him, hug him and express my graditute to him" - Maria said.
I must conclude that:
(a) the word б expressed the conditional structure: would (+ have) + infinitive.
(b) the word б is a synonym of бы and they are used interchangeably.
бы introduces the conditional, which is sometimes but not always expressed by "would" in English. Here, the correct English translation is "if only it was/were possible to ..." or "if only I could.."