What are Conditional Clauses?
A conditional clause gives a condition or circumstance that must be fulfilled in order for an action to take place. Conditional clauses are subordniate clauses, so the verb goes at the end.
The question words are: Wann? Unter welcher Bedingung?
The conditional clause can be introduced by „wenn“, „falls“, or „sofern“.
Example:
- „Wann kommst du nach Hause?“
„Ich komme nach Hause, wenn ich mit der Arbeit fertig bin.“
The subordinate clause states the conditions that are necessary for the main clause to occur. ⇒ The action of the subordinate clause has to be finished before the action of the main clause can occur
- „Gehst du morgen spazieren?“
„Wenn das Wetter schön ist, gehe ich morgen spazieren.“
The condition for the action „spazieren gehen“is good weather tomorrow. ⇒ The action „spazieren gehen“ depends on the weather.
Differences: „wenn“, „falls“, and „sofern“
The difference between „wenn“, „falls“ and „sofern“ lies in the probabilities.
For „falls“ and „sofern“, the probability of the condition being satisfied is relatively small.
- „Falls/Sofern ich keine Zeit habe, gebe ich dir Bescheid!“
⇒ I will probably have time.
- „Wenn ich keine Zeit habe,…“ (= Neutral)
„Sofern“ can ony be uses in combination with negations. „Falls“ always works
- „Sofern ich keine Zeit habe,…“
- „Sofern du nicht zum Treffen kommst,…“
In the Past
When talking about the past, it is not possible for the conditions to be satisfied.
Therefore we must use the subjunctive 2 in order to express the unreal things.
- „Wenn ich mehr gelernt hätte, hätte ich die Prüfung bestanden.“
I already failed the exam. The conditions are unreal because it is impossible to fulfill them. ⇒ Subjunctive 2.
More Information about Subjunctive 2 in lecture 4.11. The Subjunctive 2.
Word Order
When the main clause comes before the subordinate clause, everything stays the same:
- „Ich helfe dir, wenn du für mich das Geschirr abwäschst.“
(Verb in position 2 in the main clause and in the end at the subordinate clause.)
But normally the subordinate clause comes first, because the conditions are the most important information in the sentence.
- „Wenn du für mich das Geschirr abwäschst, helfe ich dir.“
(Everything stays regular: verb in the subordinate clause at the end of the clause and the verb of the main clause straight after the comma.)
When the subordinate clause comes before the main clause, it is possible to leave „wenn“ out. The conjugated verb then moves to position 1.
- „Wenn du zu spät kommst, gibt es Ärger.“
= „Kommst du zu spät, gibt es Ärger.“
- „Wenn du mich anlügst, bekommst du 1 Woche Hausarrest!“
= „Lügst du mich an, bekommst du 1 Woche Hausarrest!“
If „wenn“ is left out it sounds more like a warning than a condition.
Summary
- Conditional clauses are a type of subordinate clause. They state a condition that has to be fulfilled for the other action to take place.
- When talking about the past they can only function with the subjunctive 2.
- Normally the subordinate clause comes before the main clause, and in this case it is possible to leave out „wenn“ and put the verb in position 1.
Further Information
- A general overview of subordinate clauses can be found in lecture: Subordinate Clause.
- Infinitive Phrases (infinitive with zu) and Infinitive Constructions (um/anstatt/ohne … zu) are subordinate clauses as well.
- Subordinate clauses start with subordinate conjunctions: „weil/da“, „obwohl“, „damit“, „dass“, „so dass“, „indem“ and „als/wenn“
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