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Subjunctive

Spoken Description

Lerne den Konjunktiv im Deutschen: Präsens, Präteritum und Futur: Bildung, Verwendung, Ausnahmen. Übungen bei Wunsch-, hypothetischen oder indirekten Rede-Sätzen.

Learn the German subjunctive: present, past (Imperfekt/Präteritum) and future tense forms. Covers formation, typical uses (wishes, hypotheticals, polite indirect speech) and common mistakes.

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Der Konjunktiv im Deutschen drückt Wünsche, hypothetische Situationen, Höflichkeit und mehr aus — er gestaltet, wie du signalisierst, dass etwas unsicher, gegen die Wahrheit gerichtet oder gewünscht ist. Dieser Leitfaden behandelt die beiden Hauptkonjunktive: Konjunktiv I für indirekte Rede und Konjunktiv II für Hypothetisches.

The subjunctive mood in German expresses wishes, hypothetical situations, politeness, and more — it shapes how you signal that something is uncertain, contrary to fact, or desired. This guide covers the two main subjunctives: Konjunktiv I for indirect speech and Konjunktiv II for hypotheticals.

Konjunktiv I

Konjunktiv I wird vor allem für die berichtete Rede im Deutschen verwendet, sodass du zeigen kannst, dass du die Aussage einer anderen Person wiedergibst, ohne sie zu bestätigen.

Konjunktiv I is primarily used for reported speech in German, so you can show that you are relaying someone else's statement without asserting it as your own.

Formation

The Konjunktiv I forms are based on the infinitive stem plus specific endings; they often match the indicative in some persons, so publishers may choose Konjunktiv II for clarity.
PersonInfinitive Stem 'machen'English Equivalent
ichmacheI make / I would make
dumachestyou make / you would make
er/sie/esmachehe/she/it makes / would make
wirmachenwe make / we would make
ihrmachetyou (pl) make / would make
sie/Siemachenthey/you (form) make / would make
du(machen)

du machest = you (formal) would make

du (make)

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Usage

Use Konjunktiv I in journalistic, academic, and formal contexts to signal reported speech; in everyday speech, speakers often switch to Konjunktiv II or use dass plus indicative for ease.

Konjunktiv II

Konjunktiv II drückt nicht reale Bedingungen, Wünsche, höfliche Bitten und Hypothetisches aus; er ist die bevorzugte Haltung bei Szenarien, die der Wirklichkeit widersprechen, und bei abgeschwächter Sprache.

Konjunktiv II expresses unreal conditions, wishes, polite requests, and hypotheticals; it is the go-to mood for contrary-to-fact scenarios and softened speech.

Formation

The Konjunktiv II forms usually derive from the simple past (preterite) stem plus endings, with vowel changes for modal and common strong verbs; the auxiliary verbs würden, hätten, and wären also help form periphrastic subjunctives.
PersonPreterite Stem 'machen'English Equivalent
ichmachteI made / I would make
dumachtestyou made / you would make
er/sie/esmachtehe/she/it made / would make
wirmachtenwe made / we would make
ihrmachtetyou (pl) made / would make
sie/Siemachtenthey/you (form) made / would make
VerbPreteriteKonjunktiv IIEnglish
gehenginggingeto go / would go
kommenkamkämeto come / would come
habenhattehätteto have / would have
seinwarwäreto be / would be
werdenwurdewürdeto become / would become
du(machen)

du machest = you (formal) would make

du (make)

1 of 3

Usage

Use Konjunktiv II for hypothetical situations, polite requests, and wishes that are unlikely or impossible; the conditional würde + infinitive construction is common for making sentences sound smoother and more natural.

Wishes and Hypotheticals

Use Konjunktiv II with wenn clauses for unreal conditions and with ich wünschte to express desires about changing the past or present; the difference between hätte and wäre depends on whether the verb is transitive or intransitive.
Wish example
Hypothetical example
Conditional example
Ich wünschte, ich(haben) mehr Zeit gehabt.

I wish I had had more time.

Unreal past wish

Politeness

Formulate polite requests with Konjunktiv II and formulas like würden Sie bitte ... to soften demands; using subjunctive signals respect for the listener's ability to comply and makes interactions more courteous.
Polite request
More polite phrasing

Summary

Konjunktiv I marks reported speech and appears mainly in formal contexts, while Konjunktiv II handles unreal and polite expressions; mastering both moods lets you nuance meaning between fact, appearance, and desire in German.

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