Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) in the past

The subjunctive mood in German is a rather complex grammatical topic and can therefore easily confuse learners. The subjunctive with Konjunktiv II in the past tense will have differences compared to the present tense. Today's article will introduce the subjunctive in the past tense.

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1. Structure: hätten/wären + Partizip II

• The auxiliary verbs hätten/wären are conjugated according to the subject. For verbs expressing movement or a change of state, the auxiliary verb wären is used. The remaining verbs go with the auxiliary verb hätten.

1. Usage:

• Use Konjunktiv II in the past tense to express a wish relating to the past that could not be fulfilled:

Ich hätte sehr gern ein Auto gekauft.

(I had really wanted to buy a car.)

→ I had really wanted to buy a car, but at that point in the past I was unable to do so for some reason.

• Use Konjunktiv II with unreal conditional sentences in the past. Conditional sentences typically use wenn or falls. In this case, Konjunktiv II in the past expresses an action in the past that could have been different if some condition in the past had been different.

Wenn ich genug Geld gehabt hätte, wäre ich nach Deutschland geflogen.

(If only I had had enough money, I would have flown to Germany.)

→ Reality: In the past I did not have enough money and did not go to Germany.

!!! When an unreal condition in the past leads to an action in the present or future that cannot take place, we can conjugate the conditional clause with Konjunktiv II in the past and conjugate Konjunktiv II in the present in the main clause.

Wenn ich Jura studiert hätte, wäre ich heute Anwalt.

(If I had studied law, I would be a lawyer today.)3. Konjunktiv II in the past tense with Modalverb

• Konjunktiv 2 in the past tense with Modalverb is used to emphasize the degree and nature of an action.

• Structure: hätten + Infinitiv (Vollverb) + Infinitiv (Modalverb)

Er hätte besser die Prüfung machen können.

(If only he could have done better on the exam.)

*** Note:

• Never use the auxiliary verb wären, even when the main verb describes a movement or change of state. Always use hätten when forming Konjunktiv II in the past with Modalverb.

a. Frau Hochstein hätte nicht nach Deutschland fahren müssen.

(If only Mrs. Hochstein hadn't had to go to Germany.)

→ fahren is a verb of motion, but hätten must still be used.

b. Am Wochenende hätten wir um 6 Uhr aufstehen müssen.

(If only we hadn't had to get up at 6 o'clock on the weekend.)

→ aufstehen is a verb expressing a change of state, but hätten must still be used.

• In subordinate clauses (Nebensatz), attention must also be paid to the position of hätten. hätten will precede the 2 Infinitive forms rather than being moved to the end of the subordinate clause as usual.

a. Wenn du hättest abnehmen wollen, hättest du Sport treiben müssen.

(If you had wanted to lose weight back then, you would have had to do sport.)

b. Ich hätte sie fragen müssen, ob ich nach Paris hätte fliegen dürfen.

(I should have asked them whether I would have been allowed to fly to Paris.)