http://german.about.com/library/anfang/blanfang11.htm ger for begin les 11


    "If we only had the money, we could..."
    "That would be a crazy thing to do."
    "God save the Queen!"
    "They insist that she go."
    "Be that as it may."
    "He said he would not do that."

But the Subjunctive II is used more in conversational German than Subjunctive I. In fact, the past subjunctive is very common in daily German. It is found in many common expressions (ich möchte..., I would like...) and is used to express doubt or politeness. But we'll discuss all that when we get to the Subjunctive II lesson. Let's start with number one, the somewhat easier Subjunctive I.

Konjunktiv I - The Quotative - Present Subjunctive
In general, the Subjunctive I (present subjunctive) is used mostly for the so-called quotative or indirect speech (indirekte Rede). It is heard or seen less and less frequently in modern German, with the important exception of news stories on radio and TV and in the newspaper.

Sometimes the Subjunctive II is also used for indirect speech, usually when the Subjunctive I form is not obviously different from the indicative form.

Recognize it when you see it!
Since the Subjunctive I is encountered primarily in a passive way — in print or in TV/radio news, it is not necessary for most German-learners to learn how to produce it. It is more important to recognize it when you see it or hear it, because the subjunctive is sending a message you need to understand.

What message? Generally the Konjunktiv I is telling you that someone said something that may or may not be true. For instance, in a news feature a newspaper may report what someone said, using the Subjunctive I: "Der Nachbar sagte, die Dame lebe schon länger im Dorf." The normal present tense conjugation is "die Dame lebt," but the subjunctive form "die Dame lebe" tells us that this what someone said. The reporter/newspaper is not (legally) responsible for the truth of the statement. When you read the news in German or hear it on the radio, this so-called "indirect speech" (indirekte Rede is a form of indirect quotation that says in effect, that's what we were told but we can't vouch for the accuracy of the statement.

he other terms sometimes used for the Subjunctive I also say something about its use: the "quotative," "indirect discourse," "indirect speech."

Other Uses
The Subjunctive I is also used in formal or technical writing and in directions or recipes to express propositions or instructions:

    Technical: "Hier sei nur vermerkt, dass..." ("Here let it only be noted that...")
    Recipe: "Man nehme 100 Gramm Zucker, zwei Eier..." ("Take 100 g of sugar, two eggs...")
    Slogan: "Es lebe der König!" ("Long live the king!")

Conjugating the Subjunctive I
Many German grammar books or verb guides will list full subjunctive conjugations, but in practice you really only need to know the third person singular forms most of the time. The Subjunctive I is almost always found in the third-person form: er habe (he has), sie sei (she is), er komme (he's coming), or sie wisse (she knows). This -e ending (except for "to be") rather than the normal -t ending in the German third person is your clue to indirect quotation. The other non-third-person forms are rarely if ever used, so don't bother with them!

Similarity to Command Forms
The basic Subjunctive I form of a verb is usually identical to its imperative or command form. Although there are some exceptions, the third person singular subjunctive and the familiar (du) command forms often look alike: Er habe/Habe Geduld! ("Have patience!"), Sie gehe/Geh(e)! ("Go!"), or Er sei/Sei brav! ("Be good!").

This is also true for the wir-commands (let's, we-commands): Seien wir vorsichtig! ("Let's be cautious!") or Gehen wir! ("Let's go!"). For more about the command forms in German, see Lesson 11 of German for Beginners.

But remember, unless you're writing for a German newspaper or magazine, you don't need to be able to write or say the Subjunctive I forms. You only need to recognize them when you see them in print or hear them. On the next page you'll find more examples of the Subjunctive I in German and how to recognize it. It's easier than you may think!

Subjunctive I
How to Recognize the Subjunctive I
Konjunktiv I (indirekte Rede)

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  Verbs > Subjunctive I > How to Recognize the Subj. I

This is the continuation of our lesson on the Subjunctive I in German and how it is used. This part discusses how to recognize the Konjunktiv I and what it means.

How Do You Recognize the Subjunctive I?
The Konjunktiv I is usually formed by adding an e-ending to the infinitive stem of a verb (-en in the plural), rather than the normal (indicative) t-ending. This form of the verb is also known as the "indirect discourse" or "indirect quotation" form. It is used to indicate what someone has said, without any claim that it is true or not. One rare exception to the rule is sein (to be), which has the unique Subjunctive I forms sei and seien (pl.) in the third person.

Subjunctive I Examples (in red):

haben to have (infinitive)
er hat he has (3rd person indicative)
er habe (he says) he has (Subjunctive I, quotative)

gehen to go (infinitive)
er geht he goes (3rd person indicative)
er gehe (he says) he has (Subjunctive I, quotative)

sein to be (infinitive)
sie ist she is (3rd person indicative)
sie sei (she says) she is (Subjunctive I, quotative)

arbeiten to work (infinitive)
er arbeitet he works (3rd person indicative)
er arbeite (he says) he works (Subjunctive I, quotative)

können to be able, can (infinitive)
er kann he can (3rd person indicative)
er könne (he says) he can/could (Subjunctive I, quotative)

By its "quotative" nature, the Subjunctive I forms are usually seen in the third person: er komme, sie sei, der Mann lebe, and so forth. Because the third-person plural Subjunctive I forms are usually identical to the indicative forms, the Subjunctive II forms may be used instead. ("Die Leute sagten, sie hätten kein Geld." = "The people said they have no money.")

In the chart below, you can see an example of how the Subjunctive I forms of the verb gehen only differ from the indicative present tense in the third person singular and the du/ihr familiar forms (rarely used):

Subjunctive I of gehen (to go)
ich 	du* 	er/sie/es 	wir 	ihr* 	sie/Sie
gehe 	gehest 	gehe 	gehen 	gehet 	gehen
Present Indicative of gehen (to go)
gehe 	gehst 	geht 	gehen 	geht 	gehen
*Although different from the indicative, the Subjunctive I forms of du and ihr are rarely seen or used.

Unlike most German verbs, the highly irregular verb sein (to be) has a distinct Subjunctive I form that differs from the present tense indicative in all persons. But, as with most other verbs in the Subjunctive I, the "present subjunctive" of sein is rarely seen in the non-third-person forms. The same is true of the German modal verbs (dürfen, müssen, können, etc.) and wissen (to know) in the Subjunctive I.

Subjunctive I of sein (to be)
ich 	du 	er/sie/es 	wir 	ihr 	sie/Sie
sei 	seist 	sei 	seien 	seiet 	seien
Present Indicative of sein (to be)
bin 	bist 	ist 	sind 	seid 	sind
Although they are different from the indicative, the non-third-person Subjunctive I forms of sein are rarely seen or used.

As the above charts make evident, students of German can concentrate on recognizing the third person forms of the Subjunctive I (aka "the quotative"). It makes no sense to study all the subjunctive forms that are never or rarely used. For all practical purposes, you only need to learn to spot the quotative forms when you see er, sie or es used with a verb that ends in e. To learn more about what the quotative forms mean, see Subjunctive I - Part One.

Other Tenses
As we explained in Part One, the Subjunctive I is a verb mood, not a tense. The subjunctive can be used in any tense, present, past, or future. To form the various tenses in the subjunctive, the verbs haben, sein, and werden (in their subjunctive forms) are used to form a compound tense. Here are a few examples:

Er sagte, er schreibe den Brief.
He said he's writing the letter. (present tense)
Er sagte, er habe den Brief geschrieben.
He said he wrote the letter. (past tense)
Er sagte, er werde den Brief schreiben.
He said he will write the letter. (future tense)

Sie sagte, sie fahre nach Hong Kong.
She said she's traveling to Hong Kong. (present tense)
Sie sagte, sie sei nach Hong Kong gefahren.
She said she traveled to Hong Kong. (past tense)

======================
When and How to Use the "Past" Subjunctive

Introduction - Konjunktiv II
Most of the time, teachers and textbooks manage to make the subjunctive mood (der Konjunktiv) more complicated than it needs to be. The subjunctive can be confusing, but it doesn't have to be.

Early on, every beginning student of German learns this common Subjunctive II verb form: möchte (would like), as in "Ich möchte einen Kaffee." ("I'd like a [cup of] coffee.") This is an illustration of a subjunctive verb form learned as vocabulary.

 No complicated rules to learn, just an easily memorized vocabulary phrase. Much of the subjunctive can be handled this way... without worrying about complex rules or formulas!

Konjunktiv II - Past Subjunctive
Why is it, if you ask a native-speaker of German to explain the use of the subjunctive, he or she will most likely (a) not know what the subjunctive is, and/or (b) not be able to explain it to you? This, despite the fact that this same German (or Austrian or Swiss) can and does use the subjunctive all the time! Well, if you had grown up speaking German, you could, too. (That was an English sentence in the Konjunktiv!) But for those of you who didn't, here's some help.

What is the Subjunctive II?
The past subjunctive is a verb "mood" used to express uncertainty, doubt, or a contrary-to-reality condition. It is also frequently utilized to reflect politeness and good manners—an excellent reason to know the subjunctive! The subjunctive is not a verb tense; it is a "mood" that can be used in various tenses.

 The "past subjunctive" (another name for the Subjunctive II) gets its name from the fact that its forms are based on the past tense. The Subjunctive I is called the "present subjunctive" because it is based on the present tense. But don't let those terms confuse you: the subjunctive is not a verb tense.

The "opposite" of the subjunctive is the indicative. Most sentences that we utter—in English or German—"indicate" a statement of fact, something that is real, as in: "Ich habe kein Geld." (Something that is all too real for most of us!) The subjunctive does the opposite. It tells the listener that something is contrary to reality or conditional, as in: "Hätte ich das Geld, würde ich nach Europa fahren." ("Had I the money, I would travel to Europe.") The implication is clearly, "I don't have the money and I'm not going to Europe." (indicative).

One problem for English-speakers trying to learn the Konjunktiv is that in English the subjunctive has practically died out. Only a few vestiges remain. We still say, "If I were you, I wouldn't do that." (But I'm not you.) It sounds substandard or "uneducated" to say, "If I was you..." A statement such as "if I had the money" (I don't expect to have it) is different from "when I have the money" (it's likely I will have it). Both "were" and "had" (past tense) are English subjunctive forms in the two examples above.

But in German, despite some setbacks, the subjunctive is very much alive and well. Its use is important for conveying the idea of conditional or uncertain situations. This is usually expressed in German by what is known as the Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II), sometimes called the past or imperfect subjunctive—because it is based on the imperfect tense forms of verbs.

OK, let's get down to business. What follows is not an attempt to cover all aspects of the Konjunktiv II but rather a review of the more important aspects.

Here are some examples of how the Subjunctive II can be used in German.

The Konjunktiv II is used in the following situations:

    As if, contrary to reality (als ob, als wenn, als, wenn)
    Er gibt Geld aus, als ob er Millionär wäre.
    He spends money as if he were a millionaire.
    Request, obligation (being polite!)—usually with modals (i.e., können, sollen, etc.)
    Könntest du mir dein Buch borgen?
    Could you lend me your book?

3.    Doubt or uncertainty (often preceded by ob or dass)
    Wir glauben nicht, dass man diese Prozedur genehmigen würde.
    We don't believe that they would allow this procedure.
    Wishes, wishful thinking (usually with intensifying words like nur or doch - and conditional sentences)
    Hätten Sie mich nur angerufen! (wishful)
    If you had only called me!
    Wenn ich Zeit hätte, würde ich ihn besuchen. (conditional)
    If I had time, I'd visit him.
    Replacement for Subjunctive I (when the Subjunctive I form and the indictative form are identical)
    Sie sagten sie hätten ihn gesehen.
    They said they had seen him

The last two lines in the traditional German song, "Mein Hut," are subjunctive (conditional):

Mein Hut, der hat drei Ecken,
Drei Ecken hat mein Hut,
Und hätt' er nicht drei Ecken,
dann wär' er nicht mein Hut.

My hat, it has three corners,
Three corners has my hat,
And had it not three corners, (if it didn't have...)
then were it not my hat. (...wouldn't be my hat)

How Do You Form the Subjunctive II?
To find out how easy it is to form the Subjunctive II, go to the next part, How to Form the Subjunctive.

Subjunctive II
How to Form the “Past” Subjunctive
Konjunktiv II

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  Verbs > Subjunctive II - Intro > How to Form the Subj. II > Quiz

This is the continuation of our feature on the Subjunctive II in German and WHEN to use it. This part discusses HOW to form the Konjunktiv II (Subjunctive II).

Only after reviewing this page, you are invited to take our self-scoring Subjunctive II Quiz.

How Do You Form the Subjunctive II?
The Konjunktiv II is usually formed by adding an Umlaut ( ¨ ) to the vowel (a, o, or u ONLY) in the imperfect (simple past, preterite) form of the verb... and adding an -e (if there isn't one already; -en in the plural). Exception: The modals sollen and wollen do NOT add an umlaut in the subjunctive.

Four Examples:

haben to have (infinitive)
hatte had (imperfect, simple past)
hätte would have/had (Subjunctive II)

mögen to like (infinitive)
mochte liked (imperfect, simple past)
möchte would like (Subjunctive II)

gehen to go (infinitive)
ging went (imperfect, simple past)
ginge would go/gone (Subjunctive II)

sein to be (infinitive)
war was (imperfect, simple past)
wäre would be/were (Subjunctive II)

The most commonly used subjunctive forms are those for haben and sein and the modal verbs (e.g., möchte, könnte). For most other verbs, the würde (would) + infinitive combination (subjunctive substitution) is used.

Although technically every German verb has a subjunctive form, in practice the würde-subjunctive substitution is used for most verbs other than those named above. For example, instead of ginge (would go), more often one hears würde gehen (would go). This is particularly true for plural forms in which the subjunctive and the imperfect forms are identical: wir gingen (we went - imperfect, past) and wir gingen (we would have gone - subjunctive).

Example:
Wenn das Wetter schön wäre, gingen wir zum Strand. (Subjunctive II)
Wenn das Wetter schön wäre, würden wir zum Strand gehen. (würden + infin.)
If the weather were nice, we'd go to the beach.

This has the practical result that most learners need only learn the subjunctive forms of haben, sein and the modal verbs. For most other verbs they can just use the würde + infinitive construction. NOTE: The würde construction is NEVER used for haben, sein, or the modal verbs.

Subjunctive II of haben, sein,
the modals, and werden
ich/er 	du 	wir/sie 	ihr
hätte 	hättest 	hätten 	hättet
wäre 	wärest 	wären 	wäret
dürfte 	dürftest 	dürften 	dürftet
könnte 	könntest 	könnten 	könntet
müßte 	müßtest 	müßten 	müßtet
sollte 	solltest 	sollten 	solltet
wollte 	wolltest 	wollten 	wolltet
würde 	würdest 	würden 	würdet

Other Tenses
As we explained in Part One, the Subjunctive II is a verb mood, not a tense. The subjunctive can be used in any tense, present, past, or future. To form the various tenses in the subjunctive, the verbs haben, sein, and werden (in their subjunctive forms) are used to form a compound tense. Here are a few examples:

Hättest du Lust, mit uns zu gehen?
Do you feel like going with us? (present tense)
Ich wäre gern mit euch gegangen.
I would have liked to go with you guys. (past tense)
Wenn sie kein Geld gehabt hätte, wäre sie nicht nach Asien gefahren.
If she had not had the money, she wouldn't have gone to Asia. (past)
Ich würde es kaufen, wenn...
I would buy it if... (future/conditional)

Subjunctive II Quiz
Please make sure you have reviewed this page and Subjunctive II - Part One before taking this quiz.

BACK > Subjunctive II - Part One
MORE > Subjunctive I
MORE > Verb-Lexikon - Our German verb index 

Quiz: Subjunctive II
A Self-Scoring German Quiz
German Verbs - Konjunktiv

Please don't take this quiz unless you have reviewed both Part One and Part Two of our feature on the Subjunctive II.

The following 15-item quiz is self-scoring. When you reach the bottom of the quiz you'll be able to find out your percentage score. The answers will be listed in the scroll box just below the "Get Score" button, but you might want to avoid the answers if you got less than 100%, and try again until you get it right.

QUIZ

INSTRUCTIONS: Complete items 1-5 with the correct subjunctive form of the verb infinitive shown in ( ). Also pay attention to verb endings!

NOTE: For all 15 quiz items, please write umlauts as "ae" (ä), "oe" (ö), or "ue" (ü). The "ß" character should be written as "ss." Also watch your capitalization!

1. Wenn Klaus das Geld (haben)  ------, würde er nach Hawaii fahren.

2. Eike und Uschi (mögen) ------ Blumen kaufen.

3. Wir (werden) ------ gerne nach Chicago fliegen, aber Thomas hat Angst vorm Fliegen.

4. (können) ------ Sie mir das Salz reichen?

5. (sollen) ------ er Zeit für uns haben, dann wäre das sehr nett.

INSTRUCTIONS: For items 6-10 decide whether the sentence requires the subjunctive or indicative. Base your choice on the context of each set of sentences. Use the correct form of the verb in ( ).

   Ex. A - (haben) Wenn wir das Geld haben, fahren wir nach Kalifornien. (indicative)

   Ex. B - (haben) Wenn wir das Geld hätten, würden wir nach Europa fahren. (subjunctive)

6. (sein) Wenn die Nacht nicht so kühl ------, könnten wir hier länger bleiben.

7. (haben) Wenn Maria ihr Auto ------ , fährt sie zur Arbeit. Heute nimmt sie den Bus.

8. (haben) Wenn ich meine Uhr ------ , weiß ich immer wie spät es ist.

9. (können) Wenn ich das Geld hätte, ------ wir nach Berlin fliegen, aber jetzt müssen wir mit der Bahn fahren.

10. (sein) Wenn ich du  ------, würde ich die Stelle nehmen.

INSTRUCTIONS: Complete items 11-15 with the correct subjunctive form of würden.

11. Das ------ ich nicht sagen.

12. Wir ------ mit dem ICE fahren.

13. Was ------ ihr tun?

14. Das ------ er nicht so schreiben.

15. du ------ mit mir fahren?

Subjunctive II Quiz - Key
German Verbs - Konjunktiv
Subjunctive II Quiz - Key

ANSWER KEY - This 15-item quiz was based on Part One and Part Two of our lessons on the Subjunctive II. You should have reviewed those lessons before you took this quiz.

Annotated Answer Key - German Subjunctive II

Also see bonus info at the end of this key. Correct answers are in bold type.

INSTRUCTIONS: Complete items 1-5 with the correct subjunctive form of the verb infinitive shown in ( ). Also pay attention to verb endings. For all 15 quiz items, please write umlauts as "ae" (ä), "oe" (ö), or "ue" (ü). The "ß" character should be written as "ss." Also watch your capitalization!

1. (haben) Wenn Klaus das Geld hätte, würde er nach Hawaii fahren.
   (If Klaus had the money, he'd travel to Hawaii.)
   - Conditional, contrary to reality

2. (mögen) Eike und Uschi möchten Blumen kaufen.
   (E and U would like to buy flowers.) NOTE: -en ending, plural!

3. (werden) Wir würden gerne nach Chicago fliegen, aber Thomas hat Angst vorm Fliegen.
   (We would gladly [like to] fly to Chicago, but T is afraid of flying.)

4. (können) Könnten Sie mir das Salz reichen?
   (Could you pass me the salt?) - Polite (formal 'you') request.

5. (sollen) Sollte er Zeit für uns haben, dann wäre das sehr nett.
   (Should he have / If he should have the time for us, then that would be very nice.)

INSTRUCTIONS: For items 6-10 decide whether the sentence requires the subjunctive or indicative. Base your choice on the context of each set of sentences. Use the correct form of the verb in ( ).

Ex. A - (haben) Wenn wir das Geld haben, fahren wir nach Kalifornien.
   (indicative, "When we have the money...")

Ex. B - (haben) Wenn wir das Geld hätten, würden wir nach Europa fahren.
   (subjunctive, "If we had the money..")

NOTE: In this section, the meaning of WENN is determined by the verb! If it is subjunctive, then WENN means IF. If the verb is indicative, then WENN means WHEN or WHENEVER.

6. (sein) Wenn die Nacht nicht so kühl wäre, könnten wir hier länger bleiben. - SUBJUNCTIVE
   (If the night weren't so cool, we could stay here longer.) NOTE: German word order puts the verb first in the second (dependent) clause.

7. (haben) Wenn Maria ihr Auto hat, fährt sie zur Arbeit. Heute nimmt sie den Bus. - INDICATIVE
   (When[ever] Maria has her car, she drives to work. Today she's taking the bus.) - i.e., she usually has her car.

8. (haben) Wenn ich meine Uhr habe, weiss ich immer wie spät es ist. - INDICATIVE
   (When[ever] I have my watch, I always know what time it is.) - i.e., I don't have right now, but I usually do.

9. (können) Wenn ich das Geld hätte, könnten wir nach Berlin fliegen, aber jetzt muessen wir mit der Bahn fahren. - SUBJUNCTIVE
   (If I had the money, we could fly to Berlin, but now we have to go by train.) - i.e., conditional, wishful - I wish I had the money, and if I did, then... NOTE: Plural ending (-en) for "wir"

10. (sein) Wenn ich du wäre, würde ich die Stelle nehmen. - SUBJUNCTIVE
   (If I were you, I'd take the job/position.)

INSTRUCTIONS: Complete items 11-15 with the correct subjunctive form of werden.

11. Das würde ich nicht sagen.
   (That I wouldn't say. / I wouldn't say that.)

12. Wir würden mit dem ICE fahren.
   (We would take the ICE [high-speed train].)

13. Was würdet ihr tun?
   (What would you guys [ya'll] do?)

14. Das würde er nicht so schreiben.
   (He wouldn't write it that way.)

15. Würdest du mit mir fahren?
   (Would you travel/go with me?)


 Bonus Info:

The subjunctive is NOT a tense. It is a "mood" that can be used in different tenses/times. Look at the following examples of the subjunctive in various tenses:

PRESENT: Hätte ich die Zeit, würde ich sie besuchen.
   (If I had the time, I'd visit her.)
PAST: Hätte ich die Zeit gehabt, hätte ich sie besucht.
   (If I had had the time, I would have visited her.)

FUTURE: Was würdest du tun, wenn...?
   (What would you do, if...?)
PAST: Was hättest du getan, wenn...
   (What would you have done, if...)

PRESENT: Er sollte eigentlich arbeiten.
   (He really ought to be working.)
PAST: Er hätte eigentlich arbeiten sollen.
   (He really should have been working.)

PRESENT: Wenn ich das wüsste, würde ich...
   (If I knew that, I'd...)
PAST: Wenn ich das gewusst hätte, hätte ich...
   (If I had known that, I would have...)

PRESENT: Wenn sie hier wäre, würden wir...
   (If she were here, we'd..)
PAST: Wenn sie hier gewesen wäre, hätten wir..
   (If she had been here, we would've...)