How do you form and use Konjunktiv II in German?

The German "would." It turns a fact into a wish, a demand into a polite ask. The question is only: do you reach for würde, or does the verb have its own form?

The one idea

Real or unreal. That decides everything.

Konjunktiv II is the mood for things that are not the case: wishes, polite requests, and unreal conditions. You build it one of two ways, and the verb tells you which.

würde→+ Infinitiv

The everyday route. Works with almost any verb.

Ich würde gern kommen.I would like to come.

Eigenform→one word

A few common verbs keep their own form, and it sounds better.

Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.I would like a coffee.

The forms to know

The verbs that carry their own form.

For these high-frequency verbs, the one-word Konjunktiv II is the natural choice. Everything else takes würde plus the infinitive.

wurde → würde

The two dots are the whole thing. Without the umlaut, wurde is the past tense of werden (became). With it, würde means would.

Infinitive	Konjunktiv II	Means
sein	wäre	would be
haben	hätte	would have
werden	würde	would
können	könnte	could
müssen	müsste	would have to
dürfen	dürfte	would be allowed to
sollen	sollte	should

Worked examples

Spot the form, then tap to check.

The subjunctive form is highlighted in each. Decide whether it is a wish, a polite request, or an unreal condition, then reveal the answer.

Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, würde ich mehr lesen.

If I had more time, I would read more.

Why Konjunktiv II

An unreal condition. hätte in the if-clause, würde + lesen in the result. Neither part is actually true.

Könntest du mir bitte helfen?

Could you help me, please?

Why the one-word form

A polite request. können keeps its own form, so könntest, not the clunky würdest du können.

Ich wäre jetzt gern am Meer.

I wish I were at the sea right now.

Why wäre

A wish about the present. sein has its own form wäre, which always beats würde sein.

Tap any sentence to reveal · tap the star to save

Questions

Frequently asked

Use it for unreal or hypothetical situations ("if I were rich"), polite requests ("could you help me?"), and wishes ("I wish I had more time"). It is the German equivalent of English "would," "could," and "were."

With the umlaut, wurde is the Konjunktiv II auxiliary meaning "would." Without the umlaut, wurde is the simple past of werden meaning "became" or "was." The umlaut carries the whole distinction.

The most common are sein (ware), haben (hatte), werden (wurde), and the modal verbs (konnte, musste, durfte, sollte, wollte). For these, use the one-word form rather than wurde + infinitive.

Yes. GrammarWerk offers a free Konjunktiv II drill with no signup, plus self-tests. The app is free and has no tracking.

Now drill it until it's automatic.

Get 30 fresh sentences on this exact topic, pinned to your level, each one highlighting the target structure.

Try the free drill → Get the app

More free guides

Two-way prepositions: dative or accusative? Ser vs estar: which Spanish verb for "to be" do you use? Por vs para: how do you choose the right Spanish "for"? English phrasal verbs: how do you actually learn them? English conditionals: what are the zero, first, second, and third types?