A Foundation Course in Reading German, 2017a
A Foundation Course in Reading German, 2017a
A Foundation Course in Reading German, 2017a
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Offl<strong>in</strong>e Textbook | A <strong>Foundation</strong> <strong>Course</strong> <strong>in</strong> Read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>German</strong><br />
https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/read<strong>in</strong>ggerman/pr<strong>in</strong>t-entire-textbook/<br />
Page 60 of 151<br />
12/8/2017<br />
3. Als, Wenn, and Wann <strong>in</strong> Express<strong>in</strong>g<br />
Time<br />
When used to express time relationships (like the English word “when”), als, wenn,<br />
and wann have quite different mean<strong>in</strong>gs, and they are not at all <strong>in</strong>terchangeable.<br />
The first two, als and wenn, are subord<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g conjunctions as described <strong>in</strong> the<br />
previous section, and they are each used for different senses of time. Wenn carries<br />
the mean<strong>in</strong>g of “when” <strong>in</strong> the sense of “whenever” or “if” when describ<strong>in</strong>g either the<br />
past or the present. Als is used to refer to a s<strong>in</strong>gle event or block of time when<br />
referr<strong>in</strong>g to the past.<br />
Wenn ich krank b<strong>in</strong>, bleibe ich zu Hause.<br />
When(ever) I am sick, I stay at home. [or:] If I am sick, I stay at home.<br />
Wenn ich krank war, blieb ich zu Hause.<br />
When(ever) I was sick, I stayed at home.<br />
Als ich krank war, blieb ich zu Hause.<br />
When I was sick, I stayed at home.<br />
The first sentence denotes repeated occurrences <strong>in</strong> the past or present, as well as<br />
potential occurrences <strong>in</strong> the future. The second sentence covers only repeated<br />
occurrences <strong>in</strong> the past, while the third refers to a particular s<strong>in</strong>gle event <strong>in</strong> the<br />
past, <strong>in</strong> this case a particular bout with an illness.<br />
Als sie Student<strong>in</strong> war, war sie immer gut vorbereitet.<br />
When she was a student she was always well prepared.<br />
This usage of “als” refers to a s<strong>in</strong>gle block of time <strong>in</strong> the past: one’s time as a<br />
student, one’s childhood, etc.<br />
The question word wann is used solely <strong>in</strong> form<strong>in</strong>g direct or <strong>in</strong>direct questions. Study<br />
the examples below:<br />
Wann kommt der Bus? Ich weiß nicht, wann der Bus kommt.<br />
When is the bus com<strong>in</strong>g? I don’t know when the bus is com<strong>in</strong>g.<br />
Note that here the use of “wann” <strong>in</strong>dicates either a direct or an <strong>in</strong>direct question.