MOOD · B1–B2

Konjunktiv 2: Ask politely. Imagine another possibility.

Use hätte, wäre, könnte and würde to make polite requests, wishes and unreal ‘if’ sentences sound natural.

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THE SHORT VERSION

Konjunktiv 2, made clear.

Start with these three ideas. Then test them in real German sentences.

Make a polite request

Forms such as ‘Könnten Sie …?’ soften a request. ‘Ich hätte gern …’ is a common polite way to order something.

Imagine a different reality

Konjunktiv II expresses hypothetical situations: ‘Wenn ich Zeit hätte, würde ich reisen’. The ‘wenn’ clause puts its finite verb at the end.

Use würde + infinitive

For many verbs, ‘würde’ + infinitive is a clear everyday form: ‘Ich würde bleiben’. Common forms such as hätte, wäre and könnte are usually used directly.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE

Ich habe Zeit. → I have time: a statement of fact.

Wenn ich Zeit hätte … → If I had time: an imagined situation.

Konjunktiv II is about possibility or irreality, not simply about past time.

A CLOSER LOOK

Politeness, wishes and unreal situations

Konjunktiv II tells the listener that something is imagined, wished for or phrased politely. The form you choose depends on the verb.

Forms you will use

Common Konjunktiv II forms
Basic verb	Konjunktiv II	Example
haben	hätte	Ich hätte gern Tee.
sein	wäre	Wenn ich dort wäre …
können	könnte	Könntest du helfen?
many other verbs	würde + infinitive	Ich würde bleiben.

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Put the condition and result together

“Wenn ich Zeit hätte, würde ich reisen.” In the wenn-clause, the finite verb is at the end. The result uses würde plus infinitive. In an independent polite request, Könnten Sie …? sounds softer than Können Sie …?; both can be polite.

Try this: Avoid using würde with hätte or wäre in simple everyday statements when those direct forms are available.

For a fuller reference, see the Goethe-Institut German grammar overview ↗.

YOUR KONJUNKTIV 2 CHALLENGE

Six sentences.
One insight at a time.

Choose the missing word. Learn from each answer, then try the next sentence.

LEVEL 10 / 6 correct first try

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YOUR NEXT SENTENCE

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QUICK ANSWERS

Konjunktiv 2, without the confusion.

When do I use Konjunktiv II?

Use it for polite requests, wishes and hypothetical or unreal situations: ‘Könnten Sie helfen?’ or ‘Wenn ich Zeit hätte …’.

When should I use würde?

‘Würde’ + infinitive works for many verbs, especially where a separate Konjunktiv-II form is uncommon or unclear.

Is Konjunktiv II a past tense?

No. It expresses a mood. ‘Hätte’ can describe an unreal situation now; past unreal situations use forms such as ‘hätte gemacht’.