Difference between revisions of "Language/German/Grammar/Conditional-Mood"

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(Conditional Tense in German)
 
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[[File:Conditional Tense in German.jpg|alt=Conditional Tense in German|thumb|Conditional Tense in German]]
[[File:learn-german-polyglot-club2.jpg|thumb]]
Hi German learners!
 
In today's lesson we are going to learn about the Conditional Mood in the German language.
 
__TOC__
 
<span link>Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson:</span> [[Language/Swiss-german/Grammar/Gender|Gender]], [[Language/German/Grammar/Be-Polite|Be Polite]], [[Language/German/Grammar/Descriptive-Adjectives|Descriptive Adjectives]] & [[Language/German/Grammar/Subject-and-Verb|Subject and Verb]].
==The Conditional Mood in German==
 
The conditional mood is called "'''Konjunktiv II (zwei)'''" in German.
 
It is used to talk about things that are pure hypothetical.
 
Note that there are two ways to form the conditional mood. The first one is a real verbal form, #the second one is perphrastic:


.
*"Ich sänge" is the real verbal form: I would sing.
*"Ich würde singen" is the periphrastic form.  


Hello everybody,
There is no difference in meaning. But there can be a difference in style. The simple form belong often rather to formal speech. With some verbs though, the simple  form ist quite common. You can see the most common simple forms her. The verbs "sein, werden und haben" have very common conditional forms. Notice that these forms can quite simply be derived from the past tenses of the verbs by adding umlauts: ich war becomes ich wäre and so forth.


In today's lesson you will learn some useful vocabulary about '''¨CONDITIONAL TENSE¨''' in German
With "spielen" and "essen", the table below shows the perphrastic form:


Feel free to edit this page by adding new words and expressions !
<code>Conditional of "werden" plus infintive of the verb.</code>


Good learning ! :)
[[File:conditional-tense.jpg]]


.
Notice the simple form, which can again be created by umlauting the past form. "ich spielte" becomes "ich spielte". There is just no umlaut for "ie"! This is a major problem of the simple form. If there is no legal way to umlaut the stem vowel, the form just doesn't change. With "essen" you have the past tense "ich aß". This allows an umlaut and will yield "ich äße". The form is theoretically correct and you can use is. But be warned: Unless you are Goethe or you are writing a formal essay, you will either get misunderstanding or laughter. The form is not really used. Instead, we say "Ich würde essen".


.
Things are never simple in German. In writing, a sentence this to many "würde" sounds clumsy. So use "würde" with care. As a rule of thumb, use the simple forms for "sein, haben, werden" and the periphrastic form for all the rest.


.
We are have a conditional form of the past. Take the compound past form and put the auxilliary in the conditional. "Ich habe gegessen" becomes "ich hätte gegessen", "Ich war gewesen" becomes "ich wäre gewesen". If you feel extremely confident about your German, try to figure out some passive forms: "ich bin gefragt worden" becomes "ich wäre gefragt worden" and so on.


== '''Some Verbs in the Conditional Tense in German''' ==
== '''Some Verbs in the Conditional Mood in German''' ==


=== '''Table with the finalizations in the Conditional Tense''' ===
=== '''Table with the finalizations in the Conditional Mood''' ===
.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
|'''<big>Pronouns in English</big>'''
!'''<big>Pronouns in English</big>'''
|'''<big>Conditional Tense</big>'''
!'''<big>Conditional Tense</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronouns in Brazilian Portuguese</big>'''
|-
|
|
|
|-
|-
|I would ...
|I would ...
|'''<big>Pronoun + würde + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronoun + würde + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|Eu + verbo no condicional
|-
|-
|You would ...
|You would ...
|'''<big>Pronoun + würdest + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronoun + würdest + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|Você + verbo no condicional
|-
|-
|He would ...
|He would ...
|'''<big>Pronoun + würde + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronoun + würde + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|Ele + verbo no condicional
|-
|-
|She would ...
|She would ...
|'''<big>Pronoun + würde + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronoun + würde + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|Ela + verbo no condicional
|-
|-
|We would ...
|We would ...
|'''<big>Pronoun + würden + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronoun + würden + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|Nós + verbo no condicional
|-
|-
|You would ...
|You would ...
|'''<big>Pronoun + würdet + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronoun + würdet + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|Vocês + verbo no condicional
|-
|-
|They would ...
|They would ...
|'''<big>Pronoun + würden + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronoun + würden + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|Eles + verbo no condicional
|-
|-
|They would ...
|They would ...
|'''<big>Pronoun + würden + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronoun + würden + verb in the infinitive</big>'''
|Elas + verbo no condicional
|}
|}
.


=== '''Verb : To work (arbeiten)''' ===
=== '''Verb : To work (arbeiten)''' ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
!'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
|<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>
!<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>  
|<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>
!<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
!'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
|'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
|'''<big>PRONUNCIATION</big>'''
'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
 
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>Brazilian</big>'''
 
'''<big>Portuguese</big>'''
|'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
|I
|I
Line 99: Line 80:
|'''<big>Ich würde</big>'''  
|'''<big>Ich würde</big>'''  
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
|'''''iCH vyyr de'''''
'''''ar bái ten'''''
|Eu
|trabalharia
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 110: Line 87:
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
|'''''du vyyr des ti'''''
'''''ar bái ten'''''
|Você
|trabalharia
|-
|-
|He
|He
Line 121: Line 94:
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
|'''''ér vyyr de'''''
'''''ar bái ten'''''
|Ele
|trabalharia
|-
|-
|She
|She
Line 132: Line 101:
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr de'''''
'''''ar bái ten'''''
|Ela
|trabalharia
|-
|-
|We
|We
Line 143: Line 108:
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
|'''''víâr vyyr den'''''
'''''ar bái ten'''''
|Nós
|trabalharíamos
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 154: Line 115:
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
|'''''íâr vyyr det'''''
'''''ar bái ten'''''
|Vocês
|trabalhariam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 165: Line 122:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''ar bái ten'''''
|Eles
|trabalhariam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 176: Line 129:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
'''<big>arbeiten</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''ar bái ten'''''
|Elas
|Elas trabalham
|}
|}
.


=== '''Verb : To buy (kaufen)''' ===
=== '''Verb : To buy (kaufen)''' ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
!'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
|<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>
!<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>
|<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>
!<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
|'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
!'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
|'''<big>PRONUNCIATION</big>'''
'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
 
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>Brazilian</big>'''
 
'''<big>Portuguese</big>'''
|'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
|I
|I
Line 217: Line 147:
|'''<big>Ich würde</big>'''  
|'''<big>Ich würde</big>'''  
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
|'''''iCH vyyr de'''''
'''''káu fen'''''
|Eu
|compraria
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 228: Line 154:
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
|'''''du vyyr des ti'''''
'''''káu fen'''''
|Você
|compraria
|-
|-
|He
|He
Line 239: Line 161:
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
|'''''ér vyyr de'''''
'''''káu fen'''''
|Ele
|compraria
|-
|-
|She
|She
Line 250: Line 168:
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr de'''''
'''''káu fen'''''
|Ela
|compraria
|-
|-
|We
|We
Line 261: Line 175:
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
|'''''víâr vyyr den'''''
'''''káu fen'''''
|Nós
|compraríamos
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 272: Line 182:
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
|'''''íâr vyyr det'''''
'''''káu fen'''''
|Vocês
|comprariam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 283: Line 189:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''káu fen'''''
|Eles
|comprariam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 294: Line 196:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
'''<big>kaufen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''káu fen'''''
|Elas
|comprariam
|}
|}
.


=== '''Verb : To come (ankommen)''' ===
=== '''Verb : To come (ankommen)''' ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
!'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
|<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>
!<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>
|<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>
!<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
|'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
!'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
|'''<big>PRONUNCIATION</big>'''
'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
 
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>Brazilian</big>'''
 
'''<big>Portuguese</big>'''
|'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
|I
|I
Line 334: Line 213:
'''''ahn koh mehn'''''
'''''ahn koh mehn'''''
|'''<big>Ich würde ankommen</big>'''
|'''<big>Ich würde ankommen</big>'''
|'''''iCH vyyr de'''''
'''''an kó men'''''
|Eu
|viria
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 345: Line 220:
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
|'''''du vyyr des ti'''''
'''''an kó men'''''
|Você
|viria
|-
|-
|He
|He
Line 356: Line 227:
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
|'''''ér vyyr de'''''
'''''an kó men'''''
|Ele
|viria
|-
|-
|She
|She
Line 367: Line 234:
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr de'''''
'''''an kó men'''''
|Ela
|viria
|-
|-
|We
|We
Line 378: Line 241:
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
|'''''víâr vyyr den'''''
'''''an kó men'''''
|Nós
|viriamos
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 389: Line 248:
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
|'''''íâr vyyr det'''''
'''''an kó men'''''
|Vocês
|viriam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 400: Line 255:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''an kó men'''''
|Eles
|viriam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 411: Line 262:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
'''<big>ankommen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''an kó men'''''
|Elas
|viriam
|}
|}
.


=== '''Verb : To help (helfen)''' ===
=== '''Verb : To help (helfen)''' ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
!'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
|<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>
!<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>
|<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>
!<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
|'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
!'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
|'''<big>PRONUNCIATION</big>'''
'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
 
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>Brazilian</big>'''
 
'''<big>Portuguese</big>'''
|'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
|I
|I
Line 452: Line 280:
|'''<big>Ich würde</big>'''  
|'''<big>Ich würde</big>'''  
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
|'''''iCH vyyr de'''''
'''''HéL fen'''''
|Eu
|ajudaria
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 463: Line 287:
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
|'''''du vyyr des ti'''''
'''''HéL fen'''''
|Você
|ajudaria
|-
|-
|He
|He
Line 474: Line 294:
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
|'''''ér vyyr de'''''
'''''HéL fen'''''
|Ele
|ajudaria
|-
|-
|She
|She
Line 485: Line 301:
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr de'''''
'''''HéL fen'''''
|Ela
|ajudaria
|-
|-
|We
|We
Line 496: Line 308:
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
|'''''víâr vyyr den'''''
'''''HéL fen'''''
|Nós
|ajudariamos
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 507: Line 315:
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
|'''''íâr vyyr det'''''
'''''HéL fen'''''
|Vocês
|ajudariam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 518: Line 322:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''HéL fen'''''
|Eles
|ajudariam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 529: Line 329:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
'''<big>helfen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''HéL fen'''''
|Elas
|ajudariam
|}
|}
.


=== '''Verb : To let (lassen)''' ===
=== '''Verb : To let (lassen)''' ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
!'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
'''<big>English</big>'''
|<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>
!<big>'''ENGLISH'''</big>
|<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>
!<big>'''PRONUNCIATION'''</big>
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
'''<big>ENGLISH</big>'''
|'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
!'''<big>GERMAN</big>'''
|'''<big>PRONUNCIATION</big>'''
'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
 
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|'''<big>Pronouns</big>'''
'''<big>Brazilian</big>'''
 
'''<big>Portuguese</big>'''
|'''<big>BRAZILIAN</big>'''
'''<big>PORTUGUESE</big>'''
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|-
|I
|I
Line 570: Line 347:
|'''<big>Ich würde</big>'''  
|'''<big>Ich würde</big>'''  
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
|'''''iCH vyyr de'''''
'''''lá sen'''''
|Eu
|deixaria
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 581: Line 354:
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
|'''<big>Du würdest</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
|'''''du vyyr des ti'''''
'''''lá sen'''''
|Você
|deixaria
|-
|-
|He
|He
Line 592: Line 361:
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
|<big>'''Er würde'''</big>
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
|'''''ér vyyr de'''''
'''''lá sen'''''
|Ele
|deixaria
|-
|-
|She
|She
Line 603: Line 368:
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
|<big>'''sie würde'''</big>
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr de'''''
'''''lá sen'''''
|Ela
|deixaria
|-
|-
|We
|We
Line 614: Line 375:
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Wir würden</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
|'''''víâr vyyr den'''''
'''''lá sen'''''
|Nós
|deixariamos
|-
|-
|You
|You
Line 625: Line 382:
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
|'''<big>Ihr würdet</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
|'''''íâr vyyr det'''''
'''''lá sen'''''
|Vocês
|deixariam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 636: Line 389:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''lá sen'''''
|Eles
|deixariam
|-
|-
|They
|They
Line 647: Line 396:
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
|'''<big>Sie würden</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
'''<big>lassen</big>'''
|'''''zii vyyr den'''''
'''''lá sen'''''
|Elas
|deixariam
|}
|}
Hi German learners!
In today's lesson we are going to learn about the Conditional Tense in the German language.
The conditional tense is called "'''Konjunktiv II (zwei)'''" in German.
It is used to talk about things that are pure hypothetical.
Note that there are two ways to form the conditional tense. The first one is a real verbal form, #the second one is perphrastic:
*"Ich sänge" is the real verbal form: I would sing.
*"Ich würde singen" is the periphrastic form.
There is no difference in meaning. But there can be a difference in style. The simple form belong often rather to formal speech. With some verbs though, the simple  form ist quite common. You can see the most common simple forms her. The verbs "sein, werden und haben" have very common conditional forms. Notice that these forms can quite simply be derived from the past tenses of the verbs by adding umlauts: ich war becomes ich wäre and so forth.
With "spielen" and "essen", the table below shows the perphrastic form:
<code>Conditional of "werden" plus infintive of the verb.</code>
[[File:conditional-tense.jpg]]
Notice the simple form, which can again be created by umlauting the past form. "ich spielte" becomes "ich spielte". There is just no umlaut for "ie"! This is a major problem of the simple form. If there is no legal way to umlaut the stem vowel, the form just doesn't change. With "essen" you have the past tense "ich aß". This allows an umlaut and will yield "ich äße". The form is theoretically correct and you can use is. But be warned: Unless you are Goethe or you are writing a formal essay, you will either get misunderstanding or laughter. The form is not really used. Instead, we say "Ich würde essen".
Things are never simple in German. In writing, a sentence this to many "würde" sounds clumsy. So use "würde" with care. As a rule of thumb, use the simple forms for "sein, haben, werden" and the periphrastic form for all the rest.


We are have a conditional form of the past. Take the compound past form and put the auxilliary in the conditional. "Ich habe gegessen" becomes "ich hätte gegessen", "Ich war gewesen" becomes "ich wäre gewesen". If you feel extremely confident about your German, try to figure out some passive forms: "ich bin gefragt worden" becomes "ich wäre gefragt worden" and so on.
==Other Lessons==
* [[Language/German/Grammar/Imperative-Tense|Imperative Tense]]
* [[Language/German/Grammar/Pronouns-in-German|Pronouns in German]]
* [[Language/German/Grammar/Simple-negative-sentences|Simple negative sentences]]
* [[Language/German/Grammar/Be-Polite|Be Polite]]
* [[Language/German/Grammar/Possessive-Case-in-German|Possessive Case in German]]
* [[Language/German/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be|How to Use Be]]
* [[Language/German/Grammar/Prepositions|Prepositions]]
* [[Language/German/Grammar/Objects|Objects]]
* [[Language/German/Grammar/Past-Tense---Part-1---Perfect-Tense|Past Tense Part 1 Perfect Tense]]
* [[Language/German/Grammar/Questions|Questions]]
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Latest revision as of 22:27, 28 March 2023

Learn-german-polyglot-club2.jpg

Hi German learners!

In today's lesson we are going to learn about the Conditional Mood in the German language.

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Gender, Be Polite, Descriptive Adjectives & Subject and Verb.

The Conditional Mood in German[edit | edit source]

The conditional mood is called "Konjunktiv II (zwei)" in German.

It is used to talk about things that are pure hypothetical.

Note that there are two ways to form the conditional mood. The first one is a real verbal form, #the second one is perphrastic:

  • "Ich sänge" is the real verbal form: I would sing.
  • "Ich würde singen" is the periphrastic form.

There is no difference in meaning. But there can be a difference in style. The simple form belong often rather to formal speech. With some verbs though, the simple form ist quite common. You can see the most common simple forms her. The verbs "sein, werden und haben" have very common conditional forms. Notice that these forms can quite simply be derived from the past tenses of the verbs by adding umlauts: ich war becomes ich wäre and so forth.

With "spielen" and "essen", the table below shows the perphrastic form:

Conditional of "werden" plus infintive of the verb.

Conditional-tense.jpg

Notice the simple form, which can again be created by umlauting the past form. "ich spielte" becomes "ich spielte". There is just no umlaut for "ie"! This is a major problem of the simple form. If there is no legal way to umlaut the stem vowel, the form just doesn't change. With "essen" you have the past tense "ich aß". This allows an umlaut and will yield "ich äße". The form is theoretically correct and you can use is. But be warned: Unless you are Goethe or you are writing a formal essay, you will either get misunderstanding or laughter. The form is not really used. Instead, we say "Ich würde essen".

Things are never simple in German. In writing, a sentence this to many "würde" sounds clumsy. So use "würde" with care. As a rule of thumb, use the simple forms for "sein, haben, werden" and the periphrastic form for all the rest.

We are have a conditional form of the past. Take the compound past form and put the auxilliary in the conditional. "Ich habe gegessen" becomes "ich hätte gegessen", "Ich war gewesen" becomes "ich wäre gewesen". If you feel extremely confident about your German, try to figure out some passive forms: "ich bin gefragt worden" becomes "ich wäre gefragt worden" and so on.

Some Verbs in the Conditional Mood in German[edit | edit source]

Table with the finalizations in the Conditional Mood[edit | edit source]

Pronouns in English Conditional Tense
I would ... Pronoun + würde + verb in the infinitive
You would ... Pronoun + würdest + verb in the infinitive
He would ... Pronoun + würde + verb in the infinitive
She would ... Pronoun + würde + verb in the infinitive
We would ... Pronoun + würden + verb in the infinitive
You would ... Pronoun + würdet + verb in the infinitive
They would ... Pronoun + würden + verb in the infinitive
They would ... Pronoun + würden + verb in the infinitive

Verb : To work (arbeiten)[edit | edit source]

Pronouns

English

ENGLISH PRONUNCIATIONENGLISH GERMAN
I would work ih kh vewr deh

ahr bye tehn

Ich würde

arbeiten

You would work dou vewr deh stih

ahr bye tehn

Du würdest

arbeiten

He would work ehr vewr deh

ahr bye tehn

Er würde

arbeiten

She would work zee vewr deh

ahr bye tehn

sie würde

arbeiten

We would work vee uhr vewr dehn

ahr bye tehn

Wir würden

arbeiten

You would work (plur) ih uhr vewr deht

ahr bye tehn

Ihr würdet

arbeiten

They would work (masc) zee vewr dehn

ahr bye tehn

Sie würden

arbeiten

They would work (fem) zee vewr dehn

ahr bye tehn

Sie würden

arbeiten

Verb : To buy (kaufen)[edit | edit source]

Pronouns

English

ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

ENGLISH

GERMAN
I would buy ih kh vewr deh

cow fehn

Ich würde

kaufen

You would buy dou vewr deh stih

cow fehn

Du würdest

kaufen

He would buy ehr vewr deh

cow fehn

Er würde

kaufen

She would buy zee vewr deh

cow fehn

sie würde

kaufen

We would buy vee uhr vewr dehn

cow fehn

Wir würden

kaufen

You would buy (plur) ih uhr vewr deht

cow fehn

Ihr würdet

kaufen

They would buy (masc) zee vewr dehn

cow fehn

Sie würden

kaufen

They would buy (fem) zee vewr dehn

cow fehn

Sie würden

kaufen

Verb : To come (ankommen)[edit | edit source]

Pronouns

English

ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

ENGLISH

GERMAN
I would come ih kh vewr deh

ahn koh mehn

Ich würde ankommen
You would come dou vewr deh stih

ahn koh mehn

Du würdest

ankommen

He would come ehr vewr deh

ahn koh mehn

Er würde

ankommen

She would come zee vewr deh

ahn koh mehn

sie würde

ankommen

We would come vee uhr vewr dehn

ahn koh mehn

Wir würden

ankommen

You would come (plur) ih uhr vewr deht

ahn koh mehn

Ihr würdet

ankommen

They would come (mas) zee vewr dehn

ahn koh mehn

Sie würden

ankommen

They would come (fem) zee vewr dehn

ahn koh mehn

Sie würden

ankommen

Verb : To help (helfen)[edit | edit source]

Pronouns

English

ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

ENGLISH

GERMAN
I would help ih kh vewr deh

hehl fehn

Ich würde

helfen

You would help dou vewr deh stih

hehl fehn

Du würdest

helfen

He would help ehr vewr deh

hehl fehn

Er würde

helfen

She would help zee vewr deh

hehl fehn

sie würde

helfen

We would help vee uhr vewr dehn

hehl fehn

Wir würden

helfen

You would help (plur) ih uhr vewr deht

hehl fehn

Ihr würdet

helfen

They would help (mas) zee vewr dehn

hehl fehn

Sie würden

helfen

They would help (fem) zee vewr dehn

hehl fehn

Sie würden

helfen

Verb : To let (lassen)[edit | edit source]

Pronouns

English

ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION

ENGLISH

GERMAN
I would let ih kh vewr deh

lah sehn

Ich würde

lassen

You would let dou vewr deh stih

lah sehn

Du würdest

lassen

He would let ehr vewr deh

lah sehn

Er würde

lassen

She would let zee vewr deh

lah sehn

sie würde

lassen

We would let vee uhr vewr dehn

lah sehn

Wir würden

lassen

You would let (plur) ih uhr vewr deht

lah sehn

Ihr würdet

lassen

They would let (mas) zee vewr dehn

lah sehn

Sie würden

lassen

They would let (fem) zee vewr dehn

lah sehn

Sie würden

lassen

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

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