A Foundation Course in Reading German, 2017a

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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.