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learning target |
Aim of this section is how to learn to use the Konjunktiv.
German | English |
Könntest du mir helfen? | Could you help me? |
rules |
What is Konjunktiv?
Konjunktiv is NOT a tense like Präsens, Präteritum, Perfekt, Zukunft... |
There are three moods in German:
The Indikativ is the real world. It's used to speak about all things which really happen.
We've always used this mood so far. You just wasn't conscious of it.
The Konjunktiv is exactly the opposite of the Indikativ.
The Konjunktiv is used to speak about fictional things, things which are not real,
things we would like to become reality.
The Imperativ you know already quite well. It's used to give a command or a request.
You address something directly to somebody.
An example will make it clear:
example:
For what do you need the Konjunktiv?
There are two different forms of Konjunktiv:
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Konjunktiv I
Konjunktiv I is used for:
examples:
Konjunktiv II
Konjunktiv II is used for:
examples:
I want us to concentrate on Konjunktiv II for now and leave out Konjunktiv I completely
because in almost all cases you'll need Konjunktiv II and we can still speak about Konjunktiv I later.
How do you form Konjunktiv II?
To form the Konjunktiv II in the present tense:
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example (verb: be in the "ich"-form)
Präsens | Präteritum | Konjunktiv II |
ich bin | ich war | ich wäre |
This rule doesn't work for "sollen", "wollen" and "werden", however.
That's why I suggest you learn these 9 verbs by heart because then you have covered almost everything you need for the Konjunktiv II.
The "real" Konjunktiv II of sein, haben, werden and the modal verbs
Infinitiv | ich | du | er / sie / es | wir | ihr | sie | Englisch |
sein | wäre | wärest | wäre | wären | wäret | wären | be |
haben | hätte | hättest | hätte | hätten | hättet | hätten | have |
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dürfen | dürfte | dürftest | dürfte | dürften | dürftet | dürften | may |
können | könnte | könntest | könnte | könnten | könntet | könnten | can |
mögen | möchte | möchtest | möchte | möchten | möchtet | möchten | would like |
müssen | müsste | müsstest | müsste | müssten | müsstet | müssten | must |
sollen | sollte | solltest | sollte | sollten | solltet | sollten | should |
wollen | wollte | wolltest | wollte | wollten | wolltet | wollten | want |
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werden | würde | würdest | würde | würden | würdet | würden | become |
The würde + infinitive construction
You might ask, what's about all the other verbs? You can apply the same rules for them, too and
it would be grammatically perfect German but it's quite sure that people won't understand you or look at you rather sceptically.
The reason is that the "real" Konjunktiv II has disappeared more and more out of the German language.
Nowadays, people use for all verbs (except the 9 verbs above) the "würde + infinitive construction" instead of the "real" Konjunktiv II.
example
The "real" Konjunktiv II of the verb gehen (to go) is:
Infinitiv | ich | du | er / sie / es | wir | ihr | sie | Englisch |
gehen | ginge | gingest | ginge | gingen | ginget | gingen | go |
That's grammatically 100% correct but I've never said in my life "du gingest" or "ihr ginget".
Instead we use the "würde + infinitive construction".
Infinitiv | ich | du | er / sie / es | wir | ihr | sie | Englisch |
gehen | würde gehen | würdest gehen | würde gehen | würden gehen | würdet gehen | würden gehen | go |
The general rule to form the "würde + infinitive construction" is:
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Konjunktiv II in the past tense
So far, we just spoke about using the Konjunktiv II in the present tense.
To make it complete I'd like to show how it's formed in the past tense.
All you have to do is to combine your knowledge of the "Perfekt" tense and what you learned so far about the Konjunktiv II. |
Indikativ sentence - "Perfekt" tense | Konjunktiv II sentence - past tense |
Ich habe gelernt. (=I learned.) | Ich hätte gelernt. (=I would have learned.) |
Ich war gewesen. (=I was.) | Ich wäre gewesen. (=I would have been.) |
The Konjunktiv II - past tense can only be formed in this way. There is no Präteritum form.
The word order is the same as in "normal" Perfekt sentences.
further examples:
An exception are sentences in the Konjunktiv II - past tense form which contain a modal verb.
Sentences like this are in my oppinion the most difficult grammatical constructions.
I just want to give you the rule here. I won't torture you with exercises of this special topic.
You form the Konkunktiv II - past tense which contain modals verbs with: |
examples:
exercises |
summary - documents for your folder |
Konjunktiv (theory, 5 pages) | |||