German · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 5 of 12
Hopes and wishes
Träume und Wünsche
Talk about dreams and wishes in German with the Konjunktiv II: würde + infinitive, hätte, wäre and könnte, and say what you hope.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what you would do with würde + infinitive
- Talk about dreams: Wenn ich … hätte, würde ich …
- Say what you'd like with hätte gern and wäre gern
- Make polite requests and say what you hope
Listen
On a Friday evening in Bochum, Svenja (34) and her husband Marco (36) talk about what they would do with a lottery win. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Svenja
Marco, ich habe heute Lotto gespielt. Was würdest du machen, wenn wir gewinnen würden?
Marco, I did the lottery today. What would you do if we won?
Marco
Hm. Zuerst würde ich nur noch halbtags arbeiten.
Hm. First I'd only work part-time.
Svenja
Nur halbtags? Aber deine Arbeit macht dir doch Spaß.
Only part-time? But you enjoy your work.
Marco
Das stimmt. Aber ich hätte gern mehr Zeit für uns und für die Kinder.
That's true. But I'd like to have more time for us and for the children.
Svenja
Das wäre schön. Und ich würde meinen Job kündigen und ein eigenes Café aufmachen. Das ist schon lange mein Traum.
That would be lovely. And I'd quit my job and open my own café. That's been my dream for a long time.
Marco
Ein Café? Aber du kochst doch nicht gern.
A café? But you don't like cooking.
Svenja
Kochen nicht, aber backen. Ich hätte nur Kaffee und Kuchen.
Not cooking, but baking. I'd only have coffee and cake.
Marco
Gute Idee. Und würden wir auch eine große Reise machen?
Good idea. And would we go on a big trip too?
Svenja
Na klar. Ich würde gern einmal um die Welt reisen. Und du?
Of course. I'd love to travel round the world one day. And you?
Marco
Ich wäre gern zwei Wochen am Meer. Mehr brauche ich eigentlich nicht.
I'd like to spend two weeks by the sea. I don't really need more than that.
Svenja
Ach, Marco. Ehrlich gesagt glaube ich nicht, dass wir gewinnen. Aber ich hoffe, dass wir diesen Sommer an die Nordsee fahren können.
Oh, Marco. To be honest, I don't think we'll win. But I hope we can go to the North Sea this summer.
Marco
Das machen wir, auch ohne Lotto. Wir könnten am Wochenende schon mal ein Hotel suchen.
We'll do that, even without the lottery. We could start looking for a hotel at the weekend.
Understand
What would you do? würde + infinitive
To talk about something that isn't real, only imagined, German uses the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive II). For most verbs it's simply + the infinitive at the end, like English “would”: (I would travel round the world).
comes from and has the usual endings. In questions it comes first:
| Person | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| / / | ||
| / |
hätte, wäre, könnte: If I had …
, and the modal verbs have their own one-word forms, and people use them instead of : (I would have), (I would be), (I could). You know them from … and …? They take the same endings as the Präteritum: , , .
For an imagined situation, use + Konjunktiv II and the verb at the end, then the main clause starting with its verb: In speech, people also use in the part with other verbs: .
| Infinitive | Präteritum | Konjunktiv II |
|---|---|---|
| (I would have) | ||
| (I would be) | ||
| (I could) | ||
| (I would) |
- Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, würde ich mehr reisen.If I had more time, I'd travel more.
- Wenn wir am Meer wären, könnten wir jeden Tag schwimmen.If we were by the sea, we could swim every day.
Wishes, hopes and polite requests
With , the Konjunktiv II says what you would like: For something that can really happen, use (to hope) with the normal present tense:
The Konjunktiv II also makes requests softer and more polite: …? and …? to a friend, …? and …? to someone you call . … is a friendly suggestion:
- Könntest du mir kurz helfen?Could you help me for a moment?
- Würden Sie bitte etwas langsamer sprechen?Would you speak a bit more slowly, please?
More in the grammar: The Konjunktiv II: würde, hätte, wäre, könnte
New words
- Lotto spielento do the lottery · = the lottery; = to win the lottery
- gewinnento win · Perfekt:
- nur nochonly (from now on) · = I'd only work part-time.
- halbtagspart-time, half days
- kündigento quit (a job), to cancel (a contract) · = to quit your job; = job
- eigen-own · = your own café; takes adjective endings
- der Traumdream · masculine, plural: ; = to dream
- einmalonce; one day · … = I'd love to … one day
- die Weltworld · feminine, plural: ; = round the world
- reisento travel · Perfekt: ; = trip, journey
- das Meersea · neuter, plural: ; = by the sea; = to the sea
- hoffento hope · … = I hope that …
- die Nordseethe North Sea · = the Baltic Sea
- das Geldmoney · neuter, no plural in this meaning
Practise
1.You'd like to have more time. What do you say?
2.Complete with the right form of .
What would you do if you won the lottery?
3.Complete with the Konjunktiv II of .
If I had more money, I'd travel round the world.
4.Complete with the Konjunktiv II of .
Your own café? That would be lovely.
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I hope that we can go to the sea.
6.Match the words with their meanings.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Was würdest du machen, wenn du im Lotto gewinnen würdest?
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.