{"id":93082,"date":"2023-08-21T11:39:56","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T15:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/german-subjunctive\/"},"modified":"2025-02-24T23:14:01","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T04:14:01","slug":"german-subjunctive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/german-subjunctive\/","title":{"rendered":"The German Subjunctive"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the subjunctive, you can express your desires that\u2014up until now\u2014the indicative \u201cI want\u201d has made rude or boring. The subjunctive is generally used to express things that are not factual, and that have an element of uncertainty to them. There are two forms:<\/p>\n

Subjunctive I<\/strong> (Konjunktiv I)<\/em> is used chiefly for reporting indirect speech and old-fashioned commands.<\/p>\n

Subjunctive II<\/strong> (Konjunktiv II) <\/em>is used to talk about hypothetical situations, express doubt over an idea or talk about things that are not certain. This is by far the more commonly used of the two.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s crack on and integrate the subjunctive into your German study routine<\/a> today.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

German Subjunctive II<\/h2>\n

Almost 100% of the times you see the words \u201cshould,\u201d \u201cwould\u201d or \u201ccould,\u201d you\u2019ll be knee-deep in the subjunctive.<\/p>\n

The Subjunctive II also helps us to soften requests. In fact, one of the first things you\u2019ll learn in German is how to order something in a restaurant.<\/a> \u201cI want\u201d doesn\u2019t get you there. But Ich<\/strong> m\u00f6chte<\/strong> <\/em>(I would like) or Ich h\u00e4tte gerne<\/strong><\/em> (I would like to have), does very nicely.<\/p>\n

These are both examples of\u00a0Subjunctive II. They are expressions of desire, much like wishing, which is also used in the subjunctive mood.<\/p>\n

Essentially, the subjunctive mood is used when there is an element of doubt or when something has not yet happened contained within the thought. Let\u2019s have a look at some examples and work out how to form the Subjunctive II.<\/p>\n

Rules and Application<\/h3>\n

Forming the Subjunctive II\u00a0<\/i>is much easier than you would think, and is done in two ways. One is the adaptation of the imperfect, and the other is with an auxiliary verb, werden<\/em><\/strong> (to become).<\/p>\n

The most commonly used verbs without the auxiliary are haben, sein<\/em> and the modal verbs. In these cases, the verbs use the stem of their imperfect tense conjugation but gain an umlaut and an \u201c-e\u201d if needed. For example:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Verb<\/th>Present<\/th>Imperfect<\/th>Subjunctive II<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
haben<\/td>habe<\/td>hatte<\/td>h\u00e4tte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sein<\/td>bin<\/td>war<\/td>w\u00e4re<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
m\u00f6gen<\/td>mag<\/td>mochte<\/td>m\u00f6chte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
d\u00fcrfen<\/td>darf<\/td>durfte<\/td>d\u00fcrfte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
k\u00f6nnen<\/td>kann<\/td>konnte<\/td>k\u00f6nnte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
m\u00fcssen<\/td>muss<\/td>musste<\/td>m\u00fcsste<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wollen<\/td>will<\/td>wollte<\/td>wollte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
sollen<\/td>soll<\/td>sollte<\/td>sollte<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

So you see, it\u2019s pretty straightforward. Of course, all verbs have a subjunctive form. And whether they’re irregular or regular,<\/a> weak or strong, they are all formed from the stem of their imperfect conjugation.<\/p>\n

You get the picture. But there\u2019s a much, much easier way of getting a handle on\u00a0Subjunctive II and it\u2019s with the verb werden.<\/em><\/p>\n

While those first eight verbs we conjugated above don\u2019t use it, every other verb you can think of<\/a> can be used in the subjunctive with werden; <\/em>which I guess right now is looking like a pretty special verb. If you know the subjunctive form of werden, <\/em>then you know the subjunctive form of every other verb (except for those top eight, don\u2019t forget them).<\/p>\n

Here it is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Pronoun<\/th>Conjugation<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
ich<\/td>w\u00fcrde<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du<\/td>w\u00fcrdest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es<\/td>w\u00fcrde<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wir<\/td>w\u00fcrden<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr<\/td>w\u00fcrdet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sie\/sie<\/td>w\u00fcrden<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

All you have to do now is add the infinitive and you\u2019ve got yourself a verb in\u00a0Subjunctive II.<\/p>\n

Examples<\/h3>\n

Wenn ich viel Geld h\u00e4tte<\/strong>, w\u00fcrde<\/strong> ich eine Weltreise machen<\/strong>.<\/em>
\n(If I had a lot of money, I would travel the world.)<\/p>\n

Du w\u00fcrdest<\/strong> mich hier nicht alleine lassen, <\/strong>oder?<\/em>
\n(You wouldn\u2019t leave me alone here, would you?)<\/p>\n

Nein, nat\u00fcrlich nicht, wir w\u00fcrden<\/strong> zusammen fliegen<\/strong>!<\/em>
\n(No, not at all, we could fly together!)<\/p>\n

Here we see the subjunctive mood being used firstly to express a desire dependent on a particular condition (having lots of money) as well as being used in a question that expresses a doubt or a negative (whether or not person B would be left by themselves).<\/p>\n

And finally, the resolution is still in the subjunctive because the idea is still dependent on person A having enough money, which she doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

There is a great game to really nail this form of the subjunctive. In a group beginning with the idea “Wenn ich viel Geld h\u00e4tte\u2026,”\u00a0<\/em>one person goes on to create a scenario.<\/p>\n

So using the example above (Wenn ich viel Geld h\u00e4tte<\/strong>, w\u00fcrde<\/strong> ich eine Weltreise machen<\/strong>), <\/em>the next person uses this scenario to continue the story:<\/p>\n

Wenn ich eine Weltreise machen<\/strong> w\u00fcrde<\/strong>, m\u00fcsste<\/strong> ich meinen Hund zu Hause lassen.<\/em>
\n(If I traveled the world, I would have to leave my dog at home.)<\/p>\n

And so on\u2026<\/p>\n

Wenn ich meinen Hund zu Hause lassen m\u00fcsste<\/strong>, w\u00e4re<\/strong> ich ganz traurig.<\/em>
\n(If I had to leave my dog at home, I would be very sad.)<\/p>\n

Past Tense<\/h3>\n

The Subjunctive II\u00a0only works in two tenses<\/a>. The \u201cnon-past,\u201d as displayed above, and the indeterminate past.<\/p>\n

The reason these two are indeterminate is because of the unreal nature of the subjunctive. \u201cIf I had a lot of money I would travel the world\u201d could relate to any time that has not yet occurred.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the statement, \u201cHad I worn warmer clothes, I wouldn\u2019t have gotten sick\u201d refers to a time in the past that is unreal. Using the past in Subjunctive II is a tad trickier, but nothing to cause any kind of breakdown.<\/p>\n

Using sein <\/em>and haben <\/em>in their subjunctive form as the auxiliaries, we simply add the past participle of the verb we want to be expressed in the subjunctive and voila:<\/p>\n

Wenn ich mich w\u00e4rmer\u00a0angezogen<\/strong> h\u00e4tte<\/strong>, w\u00e4re<\/strong> ich nicht krank geworden<\/strong>.
\n<\/em>(Had I worn warmer clothes, I wouldn’t have gotten sick.)<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n

German Subjunctive I<\/h2>\n

Subjunctive\u00a0I is nowhere near as frequently used as Subjunctive II. Chiefly this mood is used in reported or indirect speech as a way of maintaining distance from the source.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll also find it cropping up in older forms of instructional manuals, cookbooks and the like, as well as general sayings, such as “Es Lebe der K\u00f6nig”<\/em><\/a> (long live the king) and “Gott sei Dank”<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(thank God).<\/p>\n

Rules and Application<\/h3>\n

Forming\u00a0Subjunctive I is fairly straightforward. Whereas\u00a0Subjunctive II is formed from the stem of its imperfect conjugation, here we use the present tense stem<\/strong> and then add the same endings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Luckily for us, this applies to every verb save one, sein<\/em><\/strong>, which was always going to be doing something different, let\u2019s face it.<\/p>\n

Subjunctive I forms of machen, <\/em>haben, leben <\/em>and\u00a0gehen:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Pronoun<\/th>machen<\/th>haben<\/th>leben<\/th>gehen<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
ich<\/td>mache<\/td>habe<\/td>lebe<\/td>gehe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du<\/td>machest<\/td>habest<\/td>lebest<\/td>gehest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es<\/td>mache<\/td>habe<\/td>lebe<\/td>gehe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wir<\/td>machen<\/td>haben<\/td>leben<\/td>gehen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr<\/td>machet<\/td>habet<\/td>lebet<\/td>gehet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sie\/sie<\/td>machen<\/td>haben<\/td>leben<\/td>gehen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Subjunctive\u00a0I form of sein:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Pronoun<\/th>Conjugation<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
ich<\/td>sei<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
du<\/td>seist<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
er\/sie\/es<\/td>sei<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
wir<\/td>seien<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ihr<\/td>seiet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sie\/sie<\/td>seien<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

While this is a necessary skill to acquire if you\u2019re looking to enhance your written German<\/a>, I can\u2019t stress enough how infrequently this mood is used outside of news reporting.<\/p>\n

Practice by identifying it in online newspaper reports<\/a> and in no time you\u2019ll be able to differentiate by what a person did and what a person is said to have done\u2013good, huh?<\/p>\n

Tenses<\/h3>\n

Unlike\u00a0Subjunctive II, which has only two, Subjunctive I has four tenses: present, past, future and future perfect. In these latter three, the rule is simple: The auxiliary verb is conjugated in\u00a0Subjunctive I.<\/p>\n

Present:<\/strong>\u00a0Er sagte, er habe<\/strong> kein Interesse. <\/em>(He said he isn\u2019t interested.)<\/p>\n

Past:<\/strong>\u00a0Er sagte, er sei<\/strong> nicht gegangen. <\/em>(He said he didn\u2019t go.)<\/p>\n

Future:<\/strong>\u00a0Er sagte, er werde<\/strong> es morgen machen<\/em>. (He said, he will do it tomorrow.)<\/p>\n

Future Perfect:<\/strong>\u00a0Er sagte, er werde\u00a0<\/strong>sich vor Montag entschuldigt haben.<\/em> (He said he will have apologized before Monday.)<\/p>\n

So there we are. The key to talking about being human, to talking about all your dreams and wishes, as well as being able to talk about someone else\u2019s dreams and wishes, is with the use of the German subjunctive mood. It may be a lot to take in, but the rewards of mastering it are huge.<\/p>\n

Best Ways to Learn the German Subjunctive\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Keep in mind that reading grammar rules on paper<\/a> isn’t the same as recognizing the constructions when you hear them spoken. To get fluent in German conversation, you’ll need to be able to recognize the subjunctive when you hear it used.<\/p>\n

You can get listening practice with German podcasts<\/a>, but German videos are particularly great for helping you absorb the meaning of the subjunctive verb forms by seeing them used in context.<\/p>\n

Visual cues (like facial expressions) in movies<\/a> and TV shows<\/a> will help illustrate how the subjunctive mood affects the intent of a sentence.<\/p>\n

You can see this in action with a language learning program like FluentU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\r\nFluentU is one of the best websites and apps for learning German the way native speakers really<\/em> use it. FluentU takes real-world videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nWatch authentic media to simultaneously immerse yourself in the German language and build an understanding of the German culture.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nBy using real-life videos, the content is kept fresh and current. Topics cover a lot of ground as you can see here:\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-german-with-videos\"<\/a>\r\n

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\r\nHovering over or tapping on any word in the subtitles will automatically pause the video and instantly display its meaning. Interesting words you don\u2019t know yet can be added to a to-learn list for later.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"learn-german-with-interactive-lessons\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nFor every lesson, a list of vocabulary is provided for easy reference and bolstered with plenty of examples of how each word is used in a sentence.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nYour existing knowledge is tested with the help of adaptive quizzes<\/strong> in which words are learned in context.\r\n<\/p>\r\n\"practice-german-with-adaptive-quizzes\"<\/a>\r\n

\r\nTo keep things fresh, FluentU keeps track of the words you\u2019re learning and recommends further lessons and videos based on what you've already studied.\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nThis way, you have a truly personalized learning experience.<\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nStart using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n\n

 <\/p>\n

If you get familiar with how the subjunctive shows up in everyday German conversations<\/a> and media, you unlock an important layer of the language’s meaning.<\/p>\n

So ideally you’ll master it early on, so you can understand those subtleties when you hear them and also incorporate the subjunctive into your own speech and writing.<\/p>\n

Good luck!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the subjunctive, you can express your desires that\u2014up until now\u2014the indicative \u201cI want\u201d has made rude or boring. The subjunctive is generally used to express things that are not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":203,"featured_media":252107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"The German Subjunctive | FluentU German Blog","description":"The German subjunctive can be confusing for some learners\u2014but fear not! This guide will explain everything you need to know about the subjunctive in German, including what the Subjunctive I and Subjunctive II are and how they are used to express a range of thoughts and ideas."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[525,530,531],"tags":[],"coauthors":[477],"class_list":["post-93082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-german","category-grammar","category-tenses-and-conjugation-grammar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/203"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93082"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93082\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":246619,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93082\/revisions\/246619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93082"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=93082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}