In this lecture I will explain to you the subjunctive 2 in the past and its uses in unreal conditions, comparisons, wishes and dreams. To understand the lecture you should have some basic knowledge about the subjunctive 2 already or take a look at Subjunctive 2 – A2 – Beginner first.
Quick Review
The subjunctive 2 form describes the unreal world
Subjunctive 2: Construction:
- Put the verb in simple past
- Change any „a“, „o“, „u“ to: „ä“, „ö“, „ü“
- Put an „e“ on the end for 1st and 3rd person singular (if it isn‘t already there)
The most important verbs:
| haben | sein | werden | können | sollen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | hätte | wäre | würde | könnte | sollte |
| du | hättest | wär(e)st | würdest | könntest | solltest |
| er/sie/es | hätte | wäre | würde | könnte | sollte |
| wir | hätten | wären | würden | könnten | sollten |
| ihr | hättet | wäret | würdet | könntet | solltet |
| sie/Sie | hätten | wären | würden | könnten | sollten |
If you have any further questions about that repeat the basics in lecture Subjunctive 2 – Level A2.
Construction: (Past)
How do we construct the subjunctive 2 form in the past?
1. Put the verb in perfect
„Ich habe das Spiel gesehen.“
2. Put the helping verb in subjunctive 2
„Ich hätte das Spiel gesehen.“
The past participle stays the same
Subjunctive 2 can be formed in the past only with the perfect tense. There is no simple past (Präteritum) of subjunctive 2.
Use: Subjunctive 2
Besides wishes, polite questions/statements, recommendations, suggestions, and advice, it is also used to describe unreal situations.
Those can be unreal conditions, unreal wishes, and unreal comparisons.
For Unreal Conditions:
Things that probably wouldn‘t happen in the real world.
- „Auch wenn ich reich wäre, würde ich den Ring nicht kaufen.“
(= I am not rich ⇒ unreal / no such reality ⇒ Subjunctive 2)
- „Wenn du mehr Sport gemacht hättest, wärst du nicht so dick.“
(= In the past so it can‘t be changed ⇒ unreal / no such reality ⇒ Subjunctive 2)
As Unreal Wishes/Dreams
It shows the opposite of reality. Often used with the modal particles „bloß“, „doch“ and „nur“:
- „Ach, wenn ich nur nicht so dick wäre!“
(= I can‘t become thin overnight ⇒ unreal ⇒ Subjunctive 2)
- „Ach, wenn ich doch keinen Alkohol getrunken hätte.“
(= A wish about something that happened in the past ⇒ unreal ⇒ Subjunctive 2)
Unreal Comparisons
Comparisons that aren‘t real. One side of the comparison is unreal. Used with the conjunctions: „als ob“ and „als wenn“.
- „Ich fühle mich, als ob ich krank wäre.“
(= In reality I‘m not sick ⇒ not real ⇒ Subjunctive 2)
- „Sie tut so, als ob sie mich nicht kennen würde.“
(= She actually does know me ⇒ not real ⇒ Subjunctive 2)
Word Order Subjunctive 2
Main clause in front of the subordinate clause:
| Sie würde dich heiraten, | wenn du viel Geld hättest. |
If the main clause is in front of the subordinate clause, everything like always: the conjugated verb in the main clause is in Position 2 and in the subordinate clause it goes to the end.
Subordinate clause in front of the main clause:
| Wenn du viel Geld hättest, | würde sie dich heiraten. |
| Hättest du viel Geld, | würde sie dich heiraten. |
If the subordinate clause is in front of the main clause we have two options. If we use the conjunction „wenn“ everything stays regular. The verb goes to the end in the subordinate clause, and the verb in the main clause stands after the comma.
Especially in the spoken language we use the second version. Without „wenn“ the verb goes first position. If the main clause stands in front the subordinate clause we can not drop „wenn“.
Most often the 2nd version is used in situations like this:
Anna: „Mama, ich bin durch die Deutschprüfung gefallen.“
Annas Mama: „Hättest du mal mehr gelernt.“
Anna’s mama recommends that Anna should have learned in the past. Used when we want to say that we should have done something different in the past. (The main clause is dropped because it´s obvious)
Why? It´s shorter!
- „Wenn du mehr gelernt hättest, wärst du nicht durch die Deutschprüfung gefallen.“
Further Information
- To go through the basics again go to lecture Subjunctive 2 Level A2
- You can form the subjunctive 2 with the help of the verb „werden“.
- The base of the regular construction of the subjunctive 2 is the Simple Past.
- In the past you can used the subjunctive 2 only in the perfect tense.
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