Verbs: Subjunctive Mood

01

The 'Würden' Construction

For the vast majority of verbs, the subjunctive is formed using the helper verb würden (would) combined with the infinitive of the main verb. The infinitive is placed at the end of the sentence. This is the most common way to express "would do something."

• Ich würde das Haus kaufen.

  I would buy the house.

• Wir würden gerne mitkommen.

  We would gladly come along.

• Was würdest du tun?

  What would you do?

02

Auxiliary Verbs: Sein and Haben

The verbs sein (to be) and haben (to have) generally do not use the würden construction. Instead, they use a specific one-word form derived from the simple past tense, usually adding an umlaut.

• sein becomes wären (would be / were).
• haben becomes hätten (would have / had).

• Es wäre schön, dich zu sehen.

  It would be nice to see you.

• Ich wäre jetzt lieber zu Hause.

  I would rather be at home now.

• Hätten Sie kurz Zeit?

  Would you have a moment?

03

Modal Verbs

Modal verbs also prefer the one-word form over the würden structure. Like the auxiliary verbs, they add an umlaut to their past tense stem to indicate the subjunctive mood.

• können becomes könnten (could / would be able to).
• müssen becomes müssten (would have to).
• dürfen becomes dürften (would be allowed to).

• Wir könnten morgen fahren.

  We could drive tomorrow.

• Das müsste stimmen.

  That would have to be correct.

04

Politeness and Advice

Two specific verbs are extremely common in this mood to express politeness or give advice.

Möchten (Would like)

While wollen means "to want," the form möchten (derived from mögen) translates to "would like." It is the standard way to politely request something.

• Ich möchte bitte zahlen.

  I would like to pay, please.

• Möchten Sie einen Kaffee?

  Would you like a coffee?

Sollten (Should)

The form sollten is used to give advice or make suggestions, translating to "should" or "ought to."

• Du solltest mehr Sport machen.

  You should do more sport.

• Wir sollten jetzt gehen.

  We should go now.

05

Hypothetical Conditions (If-Clauses)

The subjunctive is the primary mood used in conditional sentences introduced by wenn (if). These sentences describe situations that are not currently true. Note that in the clause starting with wenn, the conjugated verb moves to the very end.

• Wenn ich reich wäre, würde ich reisen.

  If I were rich, I would travel.

• Wenn er Zeit hätte, würde er helfen.

  If he had time, he would help.