If you have already reached level B2 in German, then, firstly, we can congratulate you on this wonderful event, and, secondly, we wish you not to stop under any circumstances, but to safely reach level C2.
Why congratulate? Yes, because at the advanced stage of learning the German language, all the fun begins - discussing complex lexical and grammatical topics, reading interesting texts, watching films and TV series and many other equally interesting activities.
In particular, Konjunktiv I and Konjunktiv II, namely the subjunctive mood, usually take place at this level.
Today we will try to make the task easier for you and talk about the main points of the formation and use of the subjunctive mood in the German language.
Konjunktiv I used mainly in indirect speech to convey someone else's opinion, and Konjunktiv II used to express hypothetical, unrealistic situations, as well as in “polite” phrases, usually with modal verbs.
We'll start with Konjunktiv II, since it is used not only in written but also in spoken language.
Konjunktiv II has present and past tense forms:
1. Present tense Konjunktiv II, form “würde + infinitive”
This is the simplest form of the subjunctive mood, because. it corresponds to the English “I would + infinitive”. This construction can be used with most regular and almost all irregular verbs.
Wenn ich nächstes Jahr genügend Geld hätte, würde ich eine Weltreise machen.
If I had enough money next year, I would go on a trip around the world.
2. Present tense Konjunktiv II in one verb
This construction has the same meaning as the previous one, but it is used with the most common irregular (“strong”) verbs: haben (hätte), sein (wäre), wissen (wüsste), geben (gäbe), as well as in modal verbs .
Wenn wir das wüssten!
If only they knew about this!
Wenn ich genug Geld hätte, würde ich nie mehr arbeiten.
If I had enough money, I would never work again.
3. Past tense Konjunktiv II
Past tense Konjunktiv II denotes an unreal condition in the past tense or regret for a previously completed action.
It can be formed either with the help of the verb “sein” (wäre) or with the help of the verb “haben” (hätte), depending on which of these auxiliary verbs the given semantic verb is used with (for this you need to remember Perfekt).
Hätte ich gewusst, wie viele Chancen und Möglichkeiten ich mit Ihnen habe, wäre ich schon viel früher zu Ihnen gekommen!
If I had known how many opportunities I would have in your company, I would have come to work for you much earlier.
If there is a modal verb in the sentence, then the construction can only be formed with “hätte”, and the semantic and modal verbs are used in the infinitive.
Meiner Meinung nach hätten sie es nicht besser machen können.
In my opinion, they couldn't have done it better.
4. Present tense Konjunktiv I
Konjunktiv I is used to express someone else's phrases and thoughts in the third person (“He said that he would do it,” “She said that they would do it,” etc.), that is, to form indirect speech. This type of subjunctive mood is often found only in written speech. In the first and second person (“I said I would do it,” “You said you would do it”), Konjunktiv II is used.
The present tense Konjunktiv I is used when the speaker's phrase itself is used in the present or future tense.
Er hat gesagt, ich sei brilliant!
He said I was amazing!
Er sagt, er wolle keine feste Beziehung.
He says he doesn't want a permanent relationship.
5. Past tense Konjunktiv I
Past tense Konjunktiv I is used when the speaker's phrase itself was in the past tense. to form it we will need to again select the forms “habe” or “sei” depending on the verb and the participle Partizip II. If we have a modal verb, then instead of the participle we use the infinitive of the semantic verb and the infinitive of the modal verb.
Chef hat gesagt, er habe eine schöne Reise gemacht.
The boss said he had a wonderful trip.
Er setzte fort, sie sei sehr schnell losgefahren.
He added that she left very quickly.
6. Education Konjunktiv I and Konjunktiv II
These tables will help you understand the formation of subjunctive constructions in the German language.
Our German teachers send you greetings from Germany and wish you good luck in mastering German grammar!
The conjunctive and conditionalis I and II in German are used both in independent and in main and subordinate clauses.
The difficulties that usually have to be encountered when choosing tense forms of the conjunctive, as well as when translating them from German into Russian, are associated with the fact that its tense forms serve not so much to express the time of action, but to express the degree of reality of the described action (event ), this second function often prevails over the first.
Below are the main cases of using the tense forms of the conjunctive in the German language, as well as conditionalis I and II and the rules for translating them into Russian.
Use of Präsens Konjunktiv in German
- In independent sentences, the present conjunctive serves to express a real possibility. The present form of the present conjunctive in German is used:
- to express a real (feasible) wish - in slogans, calls, greetings, often in combination with the impersonal pronoun es. It is translated into Russian by the indicative mood with the particle “yes” or the word “let”.
- to express instructions, instructions, recommendations, advice. In this case, the present conjunctive in German is used in combination with an indefinite pronoun man. This combination is translated from German into Russian with the words “need”, “necessary”, “necessary”, “should” with the indefinite form of the main verb or the imperative mood.
Similar in meaning and methods of translation into Russian is the combination of the present conjunctive of the verb sein with the participle II of transitive verbs expressing a statement: bemerken (notice), betonen, hervorheben (underline), erwähnen (mention), hinweisen (indicate), mitteilen (report) , sagen (to say). The present conjunctive in German is used in this case in the main clause.
- to express assumptions, conditions. When translating the present conjunctive from German into Russian, the following words are used in this meaning: “let’s assume that, suppose that, let.”
The verb sein in Präsens Konjunktiv in combination with Partizip II of a transitive verb can also express an assumption
- The present conjunctive in German can also be used in a number of subordinate clauses:
- in subordinate clauses of the goal:
When translating from German into Russian, you should remember that in the Russian sentence of purpose with the conjunction “so that” the verb is used in the past tense.
- in conditionally restrictive (with sei es..., sei es...- be it..., be it..., sei es... oder...- be it... or...) :
The present conjunctive in German in this case is translated by the form of the future tense of the indicative mood.
Use of Präteritum Konjunktiv, Plusquamperfekt Konjunktiv and Konditionalis I and II in German
The perfect, plusquaperfect conjunctive and conditionalis I and II in German serve to express an unreal possibility (an unreal wish, consequence, condition). In this function, they are close in meaning to the subjunctive mood in Russian and are translated in most cases by the subjunctive mood.
The perfect conjunctive in German, unlike the preterite indicative, expresses not the past, but the present or future tense. Conditionalis I is close in meaning to the form of the preterite conjunctiva. Conditionalis I usually replaces the preterite conjunctiva of weak verbs, since the form of the preterite conjunctiva of a weak conjugation verb coincides with the form of the preterite indicative.
The plusquaperfect conjunctive in German retains the meaning of the past tense. Conditionalis II is close in meaning to the form of the plusquaperfect conjunctiva.
In independent sentences, the forms of preterite, plusquaperfect and conditionalis express an unreal possibility.
- They are used:
- to express an unrealistic wish:
Unreal wish sentences can begin with either wenn or a verb. Translated from German into Russian using the subjunctive mood.
- to express an assumption:
- to express a prevented action (i.e. an action that was possible, but did not take place) with the adverbs fast and beinahe. It is translated into Russian by the indicative mood with the words “almost”, “almost was”.
In this case, only the plusquaperfect conjunctive is always used, since the unreal action has a connection with the past.
- In subordinate clauses, the preterite, plusquaperfect and conditionalis are used in German:
- in unreal conditionals.
In unreal conditionals, the preterite, plusquaperfect and conditionalis are used not only in the subordinate clause, but also in the main clause. The subordinate clause in this case can begin with the conjunction wenn or with a predicate:
When translating these sentences from German into Russian, the subjunctive mood is also used.
- in comparative clauses to express an unreal comparison. Unreal comparative clauses are introduced by the conjunctions als, als ob, als wenn:
The present or preterite conjunctive is used here to express an unreal comparison relating to the present tense.
In these sentences, the plusquaperfect conjunctive is used to express an unreal comparison that has a connection with the past.
With the conjunction als, the subordinate clause of an unreal comparison has a special word order, namely: the predicate (its variable part) stands immediately after the conjunction.
- Es war überall so viel Wasser, als hätte es mehrere Tage geregnet.
- Er sieht so aus, als wäre (sei) er krank.
Thus, in unreal comparative clauses, not only the preterite, plus quaperfect conjunctiva, but the present and perfect conjunctiva can be used. Moreover, the present and the preterite conjunctiva correspond to the present tense in Russian, and the perfect and plusquaperfect correspond to the past tense.
From German to Russian the conjunctive and conditionalis are translated by the indicative mood with the words “as if”, “as if”.
- The present perfect and the plusquaperfect conjunctiva can also be used in German:
- in subordinate clauses of unreal consequences. They then begin with the conjunction als dass (so that). In this case, the main clause usually uses an adjective with the intensifying particle zu.
- in subordinate unreal concessive clauses (with the conjunction wenn ... auch):
In German, the conjunctive has two tense forms - the present form and the past form. In this case, three forms of the past tense indicative in the conjunctive correspond to one form.
Conjunctive 2 is used in the following cases:
1. A sentence expressing an unrealistic desire
a) Er ist nicht gesund. Er wünscht sich:
Wenn ich doch gesund wäre!
Wäre ich doch gesund!
b) Die Freunde sind nicht mitgefahren. Wir wünschen:
Wenn sie nur (or: doch nur) mitgefahren wären!
Wären sie nur (or: doch nur) mitgefahren!
c) Hans belugt mich immer. Ich wünsche mir:
Wenn er mir doch die Wahrheit sagte (or: sagen würde)!
d) Ich habe Evas Adresse vergessen und wünsche mir:
Wüsste ich doch (or: bloß) ihre Adresse!
1. A sentence expressing an unrealistic desire can be introduced using the conjunction wenn. In this case, the predicate comes at the end of the sentence. If a sentence is formed without the conjunction wenn, the predicate comes at the beginning of the sentence.
2. In sentences expressing an unrealistic desire, it is necessary to use the words doch, bloß, nur, doch nur.
3. There is an exclamation mark (!) at the end of the sentence.
2. Unreal conditional clauses
1. Wenn ich genug Geld habe, baue ich mir ein Haus. - Is real conditional subordinate clause, which means: Ich spare und eines Tages werde ich bauen.In other words, we are talking about a real plan.
Wenn ich genug Geld hätte, baute ich mir ein Haus (or: würde ... bauen). - Unreal conditional clause, which means: Ich habe nicht genug Geld, ich kann nicht bauen; aber wenn... In other words, we are talking about an unrealistic plan, a wish. The main and subordinate clauses contain Subjunctive 2.
2. Wenn ich Zeit hätte, käme ich zu dir.
Ich käme zu dir, wenn ich Zeit hätte.
Wenn ich gestern Zeit gehabt hätte, wäre ich zu dir gekommen.
A subordinate clause can come before or after the main clause.
Hätte ich Zeit, (so) käme ich zu dir.
The conditional clause can be used without the conjunction wenn. In this case, the predicate moves to first place. The main clause can be introduced by so or dann and always comes after the subordinate clause.
Was machtet ihr, wenn jetzt ein Feuer ausbräche?
Hättest du mich gestern be sucht, wenn du Zeit gehabt hättest?
If a complex sentence has the form of a question, the subordinate clause comes after the main clause.
Er musste ein Taxi nehmen, sonst wäre er zu spät gekommen.
Man musste ihn ins Krankenhaus bringen, andernfalls wäre er verblutet.
Subjunctive 2 is often used after sonst or andernfalls, and the following rearrangement is possible in the main clause:
Er musste ein Taxi nehmen, er wäre sonst zu spät gekommen.
Es wäre mir angenehmer, er käme schon am Freitag.
Es wäre besser gewesen, wir hätten vorher mit ihm gesprochen.
After impersonal statements in Subjunctive 2, which usually contain a form of comparative degree, there may be an independent sentence.
3. Descriptive form of conjunctive 2 “würde" + infinitive
(Wenn ich Karin fragte, berichtete sie mir von ihrer Tätigkeit.)
Similar sentences containing two forms of weak verbs can mean, firstly:
1. Jedesmal, wenn ich sie fragte... (= imperfect indicative)
or secondly:
2. Im Fall, dass ich sie fragen sollte... (= present tense conjunctiva II).
In these cases, use the descriptive form würde + infinitive. However, you should avoid using this form in both parts of a complex sentence.
Wenn ich Karin fragen würde, berichtete sie mir von ihrer Tätigkeit.
Wenn ich Karin fragte, würde sie mir von ihrer Tätigkeit berichten.
(Wenn sie mich zur Teilnahme zwängen, träte ich aus dem Verein aus.)
Wenn sie mich zur Teilnahme zu zwingen versuchten, würde ich aus dem Verein austreten.
Many subjunctive II forms of strong verbs are considered obsolete, for example: träte, böte, grübe. They are also replaced by würde + infinitive.
4. Unreal comparative clauses
1. Sie schaut mich an, als ob sie mich nicht verstünde.
Sie schaut mich an, als ob sie mich nicht verstanden hätte.
The comparative clause als ob or als (less commonly, als wenn or wie wenn) contain unreal comparisons:
Sie schaut mich so an, aber in Wirklichkeit versteht sie mich oder hat mich wahrscheinlich verstanden.
Er hat solchen Hunger, als hätte er seit Tagen nichts gegessen.
If a subordinate clause is attached to the main clause using als, the conjugated part of the predicate is immediately after the conjunction.
2. The first part contains a real statement; it is in the indicative.
5. Unreal subordinate clauses of consequence
Es ist zu spät, als dass wir noch bei ihm anrufen könnten.
Ich hab" das Tier viel zu gern, als dass ich es weggeben könnte.
The subordinate clause usually refers to an adverb with zu or allzu (= intensifying values). The word zu means that an action or state goes beyond boundaries possible or transferable, and therefore the consequence, called in the subordinate clause proposal cannot be realized. Subjunctive 2 is always used in subordinate clauses.
Er hat so viel Zeit, dass er das ganze Jahr verreisen könnte.
The consequence called in a sentence with so...dass will never occur, therefore The subordinate clause is in the Subjunctive 2 form.
Er ging weg, ohne dass er sich verabschiedet hätte.
In the sentence with the conjunction ohne dass, the expected consequence was not realized, therefore Subjunctive 2 is in the subordinate clause.
6. Other areas of use Subjunctive 2
Beinah(e) wäre das ganze Haus abgebrannnt!
Fast hätte ich den Bus nicht mehr erreicht.
Sentences with beinah(e) or fast mean that what was expected did not happen. As a result, the past tense form Subjunctive 2 is used.
Ich hätte dich be sucht, aber ich hatte deine Adresse nicht.
Der Bus ist noch nicht da; dabei hätte er schon vor zehn Minuten kommen mussen.
Sentences serve to contrast real and unreal actions.
Sollte es wirklich schon so spät sein?
Würdest du mir tatsächlich Geld leihen?
Subjunctive 2 is used in questions expressing distrust or doubt.
Wären Sie so freundlich mir zu helfen?
Könnten Sie mir vielleicht sagen, wie ich zum Bahnhof komme?
Sentences express a polite request or invitation formulated as a question.
Würden Sie mir bitte einen Gefallen tun?
Würden Sie vielleicht gegen zehn Uhr noch mal anrufen?
The descriptive form würde + infinitive is often used in the same meaning.
Zum Einkaufen dürfte es jetzt zu spät sein.
(Wie alt schätzt du Gisela?) Sie dürfte etwa zwanzig sein.
If the speaker tries to express his assumption very carefully, The verb dürfen is used in the Subjunctive 2 form.
So, das wär"s für heute! (Morgen geht"s weiter.)
Das hätten wir geschafft!
The sentence expresses that part of some action (= part of the work) is finished.
Ich glaube, dass ich ihm in dieser Lage auch nicht helfen könnte.
Ich meine, dass er sich endlich ändern müsste.
Uncertainty, doubt about the reality of an action can also be expressed using Subjunctive 2. The main sentence contains the verbs annehmen, glauben, denken, meinen.
Ich kenne keinen anderen Arzt, der dir besser helfen könnte.
Ich wüsste kein Material, das härter wäre als ein Diamant.
The subjunctive II sometimes appears in relative clauses containing a comparative degree and related to the main clause in which there is a negation.
Konjunktiv II (would)
Konjunktiv II is the subjunctive mood. For those who have forgotten - in Russian this is a verb with the particle “BY”:
I would make
I would write
That is, the subjunctive mood expresses some kind of unreal action, for example, a desired action (such as “Oh, if only he would come...”). So, to express such an unreal action in German, the form Konjunktiv II is used.
The problem for us, perhaps, is that in Russian the subjunctive mood is expressed by only one form of the verb - the past tense form, for example, would have given (you cannot say “gives”* or “would give”*). And in German in Konjunktiv II there is a distinction of unreal action in past or in present And future times. Therefore Konjunktiv II has 3 forms.
1. Präteritum Konjunktiv(gäbe, käme, könnte)
So, to express an unreal action in present or future the form Präteritum Konjunktiv is used. (Please remember how the form Präteritum is formed - this is the second form of the three main forms of the verb).
Education Präteritum Konjunktiv:
We take a strong verb (finden), put it in Präteritum (fand) and add it to the vowel umlaut(these are two dots above the vowels “ä”, “ö”, “ü”) and ending"-e":
If it is impossible to add an umlaut to a strong verb in the form Präteritum, then all that remains is to add the ending “-e”:
Weak verbs most often do not have an umlaut. And they already have the ending “-e”. Therefore, in the form of Präteritum Konj. they most often look exactly the same as in the usual Präteritum (scientifically - Präteritum Indikativ - indicative mood). Because of this inability of weak verbs to distinguish between Konjunktiv and Indikativ, Germans use a different form, which we will look at later.
It is important for us to know the Präteritum Konjunktiv forms of auxiliary and modal verbs:
Modal verbs:
Form Präteritum Konj. You will find any verb in the Conjugator (enter any verb and see its conjugation in Konjunktiv II).
The form Präteritum Konjunktiv is used to express an unreal (desired) action in present or future time:
| Präteritum Konjunktiv | Übersetzung |
| Wenn ich Zeit hätte, käme ich heute zu dir. Ich kann aber nicht. | If I had time, I would come to you today. But I can't. |
| Die Wiedereinführung nationaler Währungen wäre bei einigen Staaten nicht die schlechteste Lösung. | A return to national currencies would not be the worst solution for some states. |
| Wenn es die dunkle Materie in großer Menge gäbe, sähen Galaxien deutlich anders aus. | If dark matter were in large quantities, galaxies would look significantly different. |
| Doch selbst wenn die Quote bei fünf Prozent läge, wäre sie immer noch verschwindend gering. | Even if the quota were 5 percent, it would still be vanishingly small. |
But Modalverben in the form Präteritum Konjunktiv often expresses either an assumption or a very polite form:
2. Plusquamperfekt Konjunktiv(hätte gegeben; wäre gekommen; hätte können)
This form is used to express an unreal action in the past and is modeled after the Plusquamperfekt form: war/hatte + Partizip II. Only conjugated verbs (war/hatte) need to be put in Konjunktiv II:
wäre/hätte + Partizip II
If we conjugate modal verb in Plusquamperfekt Konjunktiv, then it must be in the Infinitiv form. Thus, at the end of the sentence there is a double Infinitiv.
3. Conditionalis(würde + Infinitiv)
The form Konditionalis (my favorite form of the subjunctive mood) expresses an unreal action in present or future and replaces the previous ones if they coincide with the Indikativ form (i.e. with the indicative mood).
Wenn er sie nicht liebte, heiratete er sie nicht.
After all, it is not clear whether it is Indikativ or Konjunktiv!!! (that is, whether it is indicative or subjunctive) Therefore, the Konditionalis form is used:
Wenn er sie nicht lieben würde, würde er sie nicht heiraten.
As we can see, Konditionalis is formed according to the following model:
würde(with personal ending) + Infinitive
The Konditionalis form is much more common than the previous forms.
| Conditionalis | Übersetzung |
| Nehmen wir an, er würde kommen... und? Was it possible? | Suppose he comes... and? What would be? |
| Eine Lieferungsverspätung würde den Betrieb stoppen. | A delay in delivery could (could) stop production. |
| Ich würde sagen, dass… | I would say that... |
| Wenn wir unseren Wagen mit einer anderen Motorisierung anbieten würden, könnten wir noch 50.000 Autos mehr verkaufen. | If we offered our model with a different propulsion system, we could sell another 50,000 cars. |
| Eine Verschärfung der Strafen würde Kriminelle nicht abschrecken. | Increasing punishment will not (would not) stop criminals. |
Some stable forms of use Konjunktiv II
…als (ob) + Konjunktiv II= ...as if...
Als wäre es lebendig. = As if alive.
Als ob sie das nicht schon längst täten! - It's like they haven't done this before!
Man muss so tun, als ob nichts wäre. - You need to act as if nothing happened.
« fast/beinahe + Konjunktiv II" = "Almost..."
Ich wäre fast gefallen. - I almost fell.
An deiner Stelle würde/hätte/wäre ich…- If I were you, I would...
Das würde ich an deiner Stelle nicht machen. - If I were you, I wouldn't do this.
An deiner Stelle würde ich genauso handeln. - If I were you, I would do the same.
Wer weiß, was ich damals an deiner Stelle hätte tun können. - Who knows what I (c)could have done then in your place.
Wish: " Ich hätte gern ein…" = "I would like..."
Ich hätte gern eine Flasche Wasser.
Wish: " Ich würde germen…" = "I would love to (+verb)"
Ich würde gern wissen, was / wann / wo ... - I would like to know what / when / where ...
Ich würde gern wissen, was er dir gesagt hat. - I wish I knew what he told you.
A very polite request. Compare:
Können Sie mir helfen?