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Forms

Es gibt zwei Möglichkeiten, den Conditional zu bilden: die synthetischen Konjunktiv II-Formen bei Modal- und häufig verwendeten Verben sowie die periphrastische Konstruktion mit würde + Infinitiv. Beide sind nützlich.

There are two ways to form the Conditional: the synthetic Konjunktiv II forms of modal and common verbs, and the periphrastic construction with würde + infinitive. Both are useful.

Synthetic Konjunktiv II

The synthetic Konjunktiv II derives from the simple past (preterite) stem with typical vowel changes. It appears in modals and frequent verbs like haben and sein.

	German Word(s)	English Word(s)
	ich hätte	I would have
	du wärest	you would be
	er käme	he would come
	wir könnten	we could
	ihr sähet	you (pl) would see
	sie sollten	they should

Fill in the BlankWenn ich mehr Zeit hätte,(können) ich öfter ins Museum gehen.

If I had more time, I could go to the museum more often.

Würde + Infinitive

The würde + infinitive form is a safe fallback for verbs without a common synthetic Konjunktiv II. It is widely used in speech and writing.

	German Word(s)	English Word(s)
	ich würde gehen	I would go
	du würdest lernen	you would learn
	er würde bleiben	he would stay
	wir würden kaufen	we would buy
	ihr würdet machen	you (pl) would do
	sie würden reisen	they would travel

Fill in the BlankEr(wählen) den anderen Kandidaten, wenn er die Chance hätte.

He would choose the other candidate if he had the chance.

Uses

Der Conditional drückt höfliche Bitten, irreale Situationen, wiederholte Hypothesen und abgeschwächte Aussagen aus. Der Kontext entscheidet oft, ob der Conditional oder der Konjunktiv I für indirekte Rede verwendet wird.

The Conditional expresses polite requests, unreal situations, repeated hypotheticals, and softened statements. Context often determines whether to use the Conditional or Konjunktiv I for indirect speech.

Politeness

Using the Conditional softens requests and offers, making them more courteous. Phrases like Ich würde gern... are common in service and everyday interaction.

Which of these sentences is a polite request?

Gib mir das sofort.

Ich will ein Glas Wasser.

Ich würde gern ein Glas Wasser haben.

Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen?

Hypotheticals

The Conditional describes actions that would occur if certain conditions were met. It often pairs with an if clause in Konjunktiv II or with wenn + past form.

Which part of a conditional sentence uses the Konjunktiv II?

The past perfect tense in the result clause

The 'wenn' word itself

The 'if' clause (e.g., 'Wenn ich Zeit hätte')

The result clause using würde + infinitive (e.g., 'würde ich kommen')

Unreal Past

The past Conditional (hätte / wäre + Partizip II) expresses regrets and unreal outcomes in the past. It is used for counterfactuals and to blame or excuse.

Fill in the BlankWenn du früher angerufen(sollen), hätte ich dir geholfen.

If you had called earlier, I would have helped you.

Repeated or Characteristic Actions

The Conditional can describe habitual actions in imagined scenarios, such as a character who would always do something. This use appears mainly in narration and speech.

When is the Conditional used to describe repeated or characteristic actions?

Only when making polite requests

In standard factual descriptions

In narration to describe imagined habitual behavior

When telling a story about what someone would typically do

Summary

Use the synthetic Konjunktiv II for common modals and frequent verbs, and würde + infinitive for all others. Apply the Conditional for politeness, hypotheticals, and unreal situations. Practice key forms so turning on the Conditional becomes natural.