A Foundation Course in Reading German, 2017a

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Offline Textbook | A Foundation Course in Reading German https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/readinggerman/print-entire-textbook/ Page 121 of 151 12/8/2017 indistinguishable from simple-past tense. Like the English “would” construction, it is based on the subjunctive II form of werden plus an infinitive, which makes it quite easy to read for English speakers: PERSON SINGULAR PLURAL 1ST ich würde wir würden 2ND du würdest ihr würdet 3RD er/sie/es würde sie/Sie würden Examples: Wenn Sie fleißig lernten, so würden Sie das Examen bestehen. If you studied hard, you would pass the exam. Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, würde ich um die ganze Welt reisen. If I had more time, I would travel around the whole world. Wenn sie die Ruinen entdeckt hätten, würden sie ein Buch darüber geschrieben haben. If they had discovered the ruins, they would have written a book about it. The above examples could also have been expressed using subjunctive II forms of the main verbs. This is less likely, but in any case, the meanings would be identical: Wenn Sie fleißig lernten, so bestünden [or:] beständen Sie das Examen. If you studied hard, you would pass the exam. Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, reiste ich um die ganze Welt. If I had more time, I would travel around the whole world. Wenn sie die Ruinen entdeckt hätten, hätten sie ein Buch darüber geschrieben. If they had discovered the ruins, they would have written a book about it. Unit: 15: Subjunctive II 5. Challenges of Translation It is important to note the following points:
Offline Textbook | A Foundation Course in Reading German https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/readinggerman/print-entire-textbook/ Page 122 of 151 12/8/2017 a. hätte and its forms can be translated as “had” or “would have.” b. wäre and its forms can be translated as “were,” “would be” and “would have.” c. würde and its forms can be translated as “would” when used with other infinitives, “would become” by themselves; “would be” or “were” in the passive voice. d. Subjunctive II is also sometimes used to "soften" a request, question, or statement, simply making it more polite. Usually this translates fairly directly into English, but sometimes it will help you to notice this particular intention when translating. e. Sometimes the rules of English will require you to translate German subjunctive mood using the English subjunctive construction "were to (infinitive verb)": Wenn ich es heute kaufen würde, ginge der Preis morgen sicher noch tiefer. If I were to buy it today, the price would surely fall even further tomorrow. f. In “if – then” sentences, the verb is in final position in the “if” clause, the clauses are separated by a comma, and the “then” clause is the main sentence. Also, the words dann or so may be omitted from the “then” clause. g. You will also encounter “if – then” statements without wenn. Your clue will be that the verb appears in first position, which otherwise only occurs in questions or in commands: In indicative (normal) mood: Nimmt der Widerstand zu, (dann) mindert sich der Strom. If resistance increases, then current decreases. The equivalent sentence in subjunctive mood: Nähme der Widerstand zu, minderte sich der Strom. If resistance were to increase, current would decrease. More examples: Hätte ich viel Geld, (so) würde ich ein Haus kaufen. Had I a lot of money, then I would buy a house. [or:] If I had a lot of money, I would buy a house.
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A Foundation Course in Reading German, 2017a

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