All German Verb Tenses Explained: A Comprehensive German Grammar Guide for All Levels

Mastering German verb tenses is a must for anyone learning the language. Understanding how each tense works will boost your confidence and accuracy in German, whether you're a beginner or nearing fluency. This guide explains all German tenses – from basic present tense to advanced subjunctive moods – making it an essential German grammar guide for learners at all stages. We’ll cover Präsens (present), Präteritum (simple past), Perfekt (present perfect), Plusquamperfekt (past perfect), Futur I (future), Futur II (future perfect), Konjunktiv I (subjunctive I), and Konjunktiv II (subjunctive II). For each, you'll learn its function, how to form it (including German verb conjugation rules), example sentences with English translations, and usage tips (including formal vs. informal contexts). By the end, you’ll know when and how to use each tense – a key step in progressing through the German language levels (A1 to C2). Let’s dive in!

Grammar guide on the tenses in German

Präsens (Present Tense)

Function & Usage: The Präsens is the German present tense. It’s used just like the English present tense for current actions and general truths (e.g. Ich lerne Deutsch. – “I am learning German/I learn German”). German has no separate present continuous form, so ich lerne can mean “I learn” or “I am learning” depending on context. The Präsens also doubles to talk about the near future when a time context is given (e.g. Morgen gehe ich ins Kino. – “I’m going to the cinema tomorrow.”). In short, one tense covers “I go” and “I am going” in German, with context words like jetzt (now) or gerade (currently) clarifying ongoing actions.

Formation: To conjugate a verb in the present, start with the infinitive (e.g. spielen – “to play”). Remove the -en ending to get the stem (spiel-). Then add the present tense endings, which are consistent across regular verbs:

• ich – -e (e.g. ich spiele – I play)

• du – -st (e.g. du spielst – you play)

• er/sie/es – -t (e.g. er spielt – he plays)

• wir – -en (e.g. wir spielen – we play)

• ihr – -t (e.g. ihr spielt – you all play)

• sie/Sie – -en (e.g. Sie spielen – they play; Sie also means “you” formal)

These endings apply to regular verbs. Many irregular verbs change their vowel in the du and er/sie/es forms (e.g. du siehst, er sieht from sehen – “to see”), but still use the same endings. It’s essential to memorise the forms of common irregulars like sein (to be: ich bin, du bist, er ist…) and haben (to have: ich habe, du hast, er hat…) as they’re highly frequent. Practising German verb conjugation in the present tense will build a strong foundation for all other tenses.

Example Sentences:

• Ich lerne jeden Tag Deutsch. – (I learn German every day/I am learning German every day.)

• Sie spielt gerade Klavier. – (She is playing piano at the moment.)

Formal vs. Informal: The present tense itself doesn’t change between formal and informal situations – it’s used universally. The difference lies in the pronoun. Use Sie (with the -en verb ending) to formally address someone and du (with the -st ending) for friends, family, or children. For example, Sie spielen sehr gut, Frau Müller (formal: “You play very well, Mrs. Müller”) versus Du spielst sehr gut (informal: “You play very well”). Remember, Sie always takes the same verb form as sie (they). Apart from pronouns, the Präsens is suitable for all contexts – casual or formal – when talking about present or scheduled future events.

See our dedicated guide on German present tense conjugation for more examples and irregular verb patterns.

Perfekt (Present Perfect / Conversational Past)

Function & Usage: The Perfekt tense in German serves as the primary past tense in everyday conversation. Although it’s called the “present perfect”, don’t let the name confuse you – **German Perfekt usually just means “simple past” in practice. In English, we distinguish “I did” (simple past) vs “I have done” (present perfect), but German uses Perfekt for both scenarios in speech. Essentially, instead of saying “Gestern las ich ein Buch” (Yesterday I read a book) in daily life, a German will say “Gestern habe ich ein Buch gelesen.”Perfekt is so common that using Präteritum in speech for many verbs can sound formal or regional. (For example, “Gestern las ich ein Buch” might sound bookish or old-fashioned in casual conversation.) So, think of Perfekt as the go-to past tense for spoken German, covering what English speakers express with either simple past or present perfect tense.

Formation: The Perfekt is a compound tense made up of two parts:

1. Auxiliary verb – either haben (“to have”) or sein (“to be”), conjugated in the present tense.

2. Past participle (Partizip II) of the main verb – this usually begins with ge- and typically ends in -t or -en, and it goes to the end of the clause.

Basic formula: [haben/sein in present] + [past participle].

For example: Ich habe ein Buch gelesen. – (“I read a book/I have read a book.”). Here habe is the conjugated form of haben, and gelesen is the past participle of lesen (“to read”). Another example: Er ist nach Hause gegangen. – (“He went home.”). In this case, ist (from sein) is the auxiliary, and gegangen (from gehen) is the participle.

Haben or Sein? Most verbs form Perfekt with haben. Sein is used as the auxiliary for a specific group of verbs, generally those that indicate motion from one place to another or a change of state, as well as the verbs sein (to be), bleiben (to stay), and werden (to become). For instance:

• Ich bin nach Berlin geflogen. (“I flew to Berlin.” Motion – uses sein.)

• Sie ist krank geworden. (“She became ill.” Change of state – uses sein.)

• Wir haben den Film gesehen. (“We saw the film.” Non-motion, uses haben.)

If in doubt, ask: “Does this verb indicate movement or a change of state?” If yes, it likely takes sein. Otherwise, stick with haben – that’s the case for most verbs.

Word Order: Remember that the past participle goes to the end of the clause in Perfekt. For example: Gestern habe ich einen Film im Kino gesehen (Yesterday I saw a film at the cinema) – the participle gesehen comes last.

Example Sentences:

• Wir haben in Berlin gewohnt. – (We lived in Berlin.)

• Sie ist sehr früh aufgestanden. – (She got up very early.)

(In the first example, haben gewohnt shows a regular participle (wohnen → gewohnt). In the second, ist aufgestanden shows a verb with sein and a separable prefix auf-.)

Formal vs. Informal: The Perfekt tense itself is used in all informal spoken contexts – it’s the default for telling stories about what you did, saw, ate, etc. In formal writing or narratives, Präteritum might be preferred, but you will still see Perfekt in personal letters, blogs, or spoken-style writing. There’s no difference in formality conveyed by choosing Perfekt, except that using Perfekt in a very formal written report might seem out of place. One thing to note: South vs. North Germany – in southern German speech, Perfekt is universally used for past events, whereas in the north, you might hear Präteritum a bit more even in conversation (for example, ich war instead of ich bin gewesen). But as a rule: when speaking, Perfekt is your best friend for past tense.

Dive deeper into this topic with our article Decoding the Perfekt Tense in German, which explains when to use Perfekt, how to form it, and common participle patterns.

Präteritum (Simple Past Tense / Imperfect)

Function & Usage: The Präteritum (also called Imperfekt or simple past) expresses completed actions in the past. It’s equivalent to the English simple past (“I went”, “I saw”). Importantly, in modern German, the Präteritum is primarily used in writing, such as novels, news reports, and historical narratives. In everyday conversation, Germans typically prefer the Perfekt (present perfect) to talk about past events. The Präteritum still appears in speech for certain verbs and in formal contexts: common verbs like sein (was), haben (had), and modal verbs (could, should, etc.) often use Präteritum even in spoken German, and formal speeches or storytelling may use it for effect. For example, it’s very normal to say Ich war gestern zu Hause (“I was at home yesterday”) or Wir mussten gehen (“We had to go”), using Präteritum for sein and müssen. But for most other verbs, Germans would use Perfekt in speech (more on that below).

Formation: The Präteritum is a single-word past tense (no auxiliary). Its formation depends on whether the verb is weak (regular) or strong (irregular):

• Regular (Weak) verbs: Add -te plus the personal ending to the stem. For example, with machen (“to do/make”), the stem mach- takes -te: ich machte, du machtest, er/sie/es machte, wir machten, ihr machtet, sie/Sie machten. All regular verbs follow this pattern, though if a stem ends in -t or -d, an extra -e- is inserted (arbeiten → ich arbeitete).

• Irregular (Strong) verbs: These often change their stem vowel and use a slightly different set of endings (no -te for ich and er/sie/es). For example, sehen (“to see”) has Präteritum sah: ich sah, du sahst, er/sie/es sah, wir sahen, ihr saht, sie/Sie sahen. Notice the vowel change (e → a) and that ich and er/sie/es forms have no ending. Each strong verb has its own Präteritum form (e.g. finden → fand, geben → gab, gehen → ging). These must be memorised, though many follow common patterns.

Example Sentences:

• Gestern gingen wir ins Kino. – (Yesterday we went to the cinema.)

• Früher spielte er jeden Tag Fußball. – (He used to play football every day in the past.)

(In the first example, gingen is irregular (from gehen), and in the second, spielte is regular (from spielen).)

Usage Tips (Formal vs. Informal): In informal spoken German, you’ll rarely hear Präteritum for most verbs. Instead, people use Perfekt (see next section) because it sounds more natural in conversation. However, in writing or storytelling, Präteritum is king – think of fairy tales: “Es war einmal…” (“Once upon a time, there was…”). Formal contexts (like news reports or formal speeches) also favour Präteritum for brevity and clarity. Finally, remember that some verbs are almost always Präteritum even when speaking: for example, Ich hatte keine Zeit (“I had no time”) or Er konnte nicht kommen (“He couldn’t come”) sound perfectly normal in conversation. So, while you might learn German tenses starting with Perfekt for past events, be prepared to recognise Präteritum in books and news – and use it yourself when writing or in advanced settings.

For more, see our full article on the German Präteritum tense, which covers additional examples and a list of common strong verb forms.

Plusquamperfekt (Past Perfect Tense)

Function & Usage: The Plusquamperfekt is the past perfect tense, used to talk about an event that was already completed before another past event. In English, we use “had [done]” for this. For example, Ich hatte gegessen, bevor der Film begann. – “I had eaten before the film began.” Here, hatte gegessen (had eaten) is Plusquamperfekt, establishing that the eating was completed earlier than the film’s beginning in the past. This tense is essential for clear sequencing of events in storytelling or reports – it sets the timeline straight by indicating the “earlier past”.

In everyday conversation, Plusquamperfekt is used when needed to avoid confusion about order of events, but it’s not as frequently required (because context often makes the sequence clear). Still, as your sentences get more complex, you’ll naturally use Plusquamperfekt to describe what had happened before something else. It’s equally acceptable in spoken and written German whenever the context calls for it.

Formation: Plusquamperfekt is like a step beyond Perfekt. It’s formed with the Präteritum (simple past form) of the auxiliary and the past participle of the main verb. In formula: [hatte/war] + [past participle].

• Use hatte (from haben) or war (from sein), analogous to the rules for Perfekt (movement/change of state uses war, otherwise hatte). For example:

  • Ich hatte das Buch schon gelesen, als er ankam. – (“I had already read the book when he arrived.”)

  • Sie war noch nie geflogen, bevor sie nach Kanada zog. – (“She had never flown before she moved to Canada.”)

Notice hatte gelesen and war geflogen are the Plusquamperfekt forms (the auxiliary haben/sein in past form + participle). The participle is the same as in Perfekt; only the auxiliary differs (hatte/war instead of habe/bin). Also, just like Perfekt, the participle goes to the end of the clause.

Example Sentences:

• Nachdem wir gegessen hatten, gingen wir spazieren. – (After we had eaten, we went for a walk.)

• Er war schon nach Hause gegangen, bevor der Regen anfing. – (He had already gone home before the rain started.)

In the first example, hatten gegessen (had eaten) in Plusquamperfekt happened before gingen (went). In the second, war gegangen (had gone) happened before the rain started.

Usage Notes: The Plusquamperfekt doesn’t have a “formality” aspect – it’s used in both formal and informal German whenever the narrative calls for it. Think of it as a tool for clarity: if you’re telling a story or explaining a sequence of events and need to express that one past action was completed earlier than another, Plusquamperfekt is the way. If the sequence is obvious or you’re listing past events in order, you might stick to Perfekt/Präteritum. But when you do need it, just plug in the “had” form and you’re set.

For further reading, see The Plusquamperfekt in German – our in-depth post with more examples on using “had done” correctly.

Futur I (Future Tense)

Function & Usage: Futur I is the future tense in German, equivalent to English “will [do]”. You use Futur I to talk about future plans, intentions, or predictions. For example, Ich werde morgen arbeiten. – “I will work tomorrow.” In practice, however, German often relies on the present tense with a time adverb to express the future, especially for near-future events (e.g. Morgen gehe ich arbeiten. can also mean “I’m working tomorrow”). Why? Because context usually makes the timing clear, and using present tense feels more natural in many cases. That said, Futur I is essential for certain situations: when you want to emphasise a promise or intention, or when there might be confusion if you only used present tense. It’s also common in formal writing or to express predictions (e.g. Es wird morgen regnen. – “It will rain tomorrow.”). In short, Germans can say things in present tense for the future, but knowing Futur I gives you an extra tool to clearly express futurity or certainty.

Formation: Futur I is formed with the auxiliary werden (conjugated in present) + the infinitive of the main verb at the end of the sentence. The structure is: Subject + [form of werden] + (other info) + [infinitive].

First, here’s how werden conjugates in the present:

• ich werde (I will)

• du wirst (you will)

• er/sie/es wird (he/she/it will)

• wir werden (we will)

• ihr werdet (you all will)

• sie/Sie werden (they/You formal will)

Then just add your main verb’s infinitive at the end of the sentence. For example:

• Ich werde morgen ins Kino gehen. – (I will go to the cinema tomorrow.)

• Sie wird nächste Woche ihre Eltern besuchen. – (She will visit her parents next week.)olesentuition.co.uk

Here werde and wird are forms of werden, and gehen, besuchen are infinitives completing the construction.

Example Sentences:

• Wir werden nächstes Jahr nach Deutschland reisen. – (We will travel to Germany next year.)

• Du wirst bald Deutsch sprechen. – (You will soon speak German.)olesentuition.co.uk

Usage Tips: As noted, present tense + time words often suffice for near future (Heute Abend spielen wir Karten. – “We’re playing cards this evening.”). However, use Futur I when you want to be unambiguous or emphatic about the future. For instance, Ich werde dich anrufen makes it clear “I will call you” (perhaps implying a promise). Also, in formal writing and news, you’ll see Futur I to discuss upcoming events or forecasts. It’s also used for predictions or assumptions about the present/future: e.g. Er wird schon verstehen (“He will understand (I assume)”). This isn’t exactly future in time, but rather a guess – a nuance where German uses Futur I to indicate probability. In summary, Futur I is straightforward to form and useful for clear future statements, even if Germans don’t use it for every future scenario.

For a more detailed breakdown, check out our guide on the German future tense, which covers werden usage, word order tips, and common pitfalls when talking about the future.

Futur II (Future Perfect Tense)

Function & Usage: Futur II, or the future perfect, expresses that an action will have been completed by a certain point in the future. It’s like saying “will have done” in English. For example, Bis nächsten Monat werde ich das Buch geschrieben haben – “By next month, I will have written the book.” This indicates confidence that the writing will be finished in that future timeframe. Futur II has two main uses in German:

• Talking about completed future actions: as in the example above, or In zehn Jahren wird sie ihr eigenes Haus gebaut haben. – “In ten years, she will have built her own house.” It projects us forward and looks back at what will be done by then.

• Making assumptions about the past: Interestingly, Germans also use Futur II to guess that something probably happened in the past. For instance, Er wird sich verspätet can mean “He will have been delayed (I assume)” or effectively “He has probably been delayed.” This isn’t about the future at all – it’s using the future perfect to indicate a supposition about a past event. It adds a sense of conjecture, like “I bet that has happened.” Context will tell you if Futur II is being used this way.

In everyday situations, Futur II is not very common, as these nuances are somewhat specific. You’ll mostly encounter it in formal writing, literature, or perhaps when making a confident statement about completion of something. But advanced learners should know it, especially for reading comprehension and formal communication.

Formation: The Futur II is a compound tense that builds on Futur I. It combines werden (conjugated) + past participle + haben/sein (infinitive). The formula is: Subject + werden + ... + [past participle] + [haben/sein].

Key components:

• Present-tense werden (as in Futur I).

• Past participle of the main verb (same form as used in Perfekt/Plusquamperfekt).

• Haben or Sein in the infinitive (not conjugated, just haben or sein at the very end).

For example:

• Ich werde das Buch gelesen haben. – (I will have read the book.)

• Sie wird nach Hause gegangen sein. – (She will have gone home.)

In the first sentence, werde ... gelesen haben is Futur II (note haben at the end). In the second, wird ... gegangen sein is Futur II (note sein at the end). We choose haben vs. sein by the same rule as other compound tenses: use sein if the main verb involves motion or change of state, otherwise haben.

Example Sentences:

• Bis 2030 wird er sein Studium abgeschlossen haben. – (By 2030, he will have finished his studies.)

• Wenn wir ankommen, werdet ihr schon seit zwei Stunden gewartet haben. – (By the time we arrive, you will have been waiting for two hours.)

And an example of assumption:

• Sie wird das Problem schon gelöst haben. – (She will have solved the problem already.) – meaning She’s probably already solved the problem (a guess about the past).

Usage Notes: In terms of register, using Futur II can sound formal or literary because it’s not often needed in casual chats. In casual speech, people might just use words like wahrscheinlich (probably) with a past tense to express assumption, or restructure the sentence to avoid a complex tense. But in writing or formal speech, Futur II is perfectly appropriate when talking about deadlines or future expectations (Wir werden die Arbeit bis dahin erledigt haben – “We will have completed the work by then.”). If you’re aiming for C1/C2 level fluency, being able to use and understand Futur II is a plus. It shows precision in time frames. For most day-to-day purposes, though, you’ll rarely say things like ich werde getan haben unless you specifically need that clarity or nuance.

For a more detailed look, check out Mastering the German Future Perfect (Futur II), which provides more examples and explains common scenarios where Futur II is used.

Konjunktiv I (Subjunctive I – Reported Speech)

Function & Usage: Konjunktiv I is the first subjunctive mood in German, mainly used for reported speech (indirect speech). This is when you report what someone else said without quoting them exactly, and without asserting the truth of the statement. In English, we often just use a clause with “that” or change pronouns, but in German journalism and formal writing, they use Konjunktiv I to signal “we’re reporting someone’s words”. For example: Der Politiker sagte, er habe davon nichts gewusst. – (“The politician said he knew nothing about it.”). Here, habe is Konjunktiv I of haben. It shows we are reporting “he said he knew nothing” without endorsing it. This form conveys neutrality, common in news, reports, academic writing, and any context where you want to distance yourself from the statement.

Outside of reported speech, Konjunktiv I is rarely used. It can appear in some fixed expressions or very formal commands, but those are minor uses. The main thing to remember is indirekte Rede (indirect speech).

Formation: Konjunktiv I is formed from the verb’s stem (infinitive minus -en) plus a special set of endings. These endings are actually very similar to the present tense, with a notable difference in the 1st and 3rd person singular. Let’s take haben (to have) as an example in Konjunktiv I:

• ich habe

• du habest

• er/sie/es habe

• wir haben

• ihr habet

• sie/Sie haben

You can see ich habe/er habe (Konjunktiv I) versus ich habe/er hat (Indicative present). For most verbs, Konjunktiv I endings are: -e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en. Often the ich and er/sie/es forms end in -e (and thus look identical to the indicative “ich” form). For example, sein (to be) in Konjunktiv I is: ich sei, du seiest, er sei, wir seien, ihr seiet, sie seien. Notice er sei vs indicative er ist.

A common challenge: If a Konjunktiv I form looks identical to the normal present indicative, Germans will avoid that ambiguity by using Konjunktiv II instead. This often happens with ich, wir, and sie (they) forms, which in Konjunktiv I often coincide with the indicative. For example, “ich habe” could be either indicative or Konjunktiv I (since they look the same), so reporters would use “ich hätte” (Konjunktiv II) to make clear it’s subjunctive. This is a technical detail, but good to be aware of if you read news in German – you might see a mix of Konjunktiv I and II in reported speech for this reason.

Example Sentence:

• Sie meinte, er sei bereits unterwegs. – (She opined that he was already on the way.)

Here sei is Konjunktiv I of sein, indicating we’re reporting her statement neutrally (in direct speech she said: “Er ist bereits unterwegs.” – “He is already on the way.”).

Another:

• Der Bericht behauptet, die Ergebnisse stimmten nicht. – (The report claims the results are not accurate.)

In that sentence, stimmten is actually Konjunktiv I plural of stimmen. Since stimmen in indicative present is sie stimmen, the Konjunktiv I sie stimm + -en → sie stimmen is identical, so actually many would use Konjunktiv II stimmten (which looks like simple past but here serves as subjunctive). This example demonstrates that fallback: the form looks like Präteritum but is used subjunctively (context: a report’s claim).

Usage Tips: Konjunktiv I is almost entirely a written/formal style tense. Suppose you’re writing an academic essay in German or a newspaper article. In that case, you’d use it to report sources: Die Studie ergibt, das sei ein bedeutender Faktor (“The study finds that this is a significant factor” – implying “the study says so, not necessarily me”). In spoken German, everyday people don’t bother with Konjunktiv I – they’ll simply say things like “Er hat gesagt, dass er nichts gewusst hat.” using the normal past (hat) instead of habe. That’s perfectly fine in conversation, albeit less “elegant.” You might occasionally hear Konjunktiv I in formal presentations or news broadcasts read aloud. But as a learner, focus on recognising it in reading and using it if you aim to write at a high formal level. If you misuse it in speech, it might sound overly formal or just confuse people.

For a full explanation of reported speech and detailed conjugation tables, see our blog post on how and when to use reported speech in German.

Konjunktiv II (Subjunctive II – Conditional Mood)

Function & Usage: Konjunktiv II is the second subjunctive mood in German, often referred to as the conditional tense or “würde” form. This is the mood of hypotheticals, wishes, polite requests, and unreal conditions. If you want to say “would/could/should”, you’re usually reaching for Konjunktiv II. Some typical uses:

• Hypothetical situations: Wenn ich reich wäre, würde ich um die Welt reisen.* – (“If I were rich, I would travel the world.”) Here wäre (were) and würde reisen (would travel) show an unreal condition. This is akin to English “If I were…, I would…”.

• Wishes: Ich wünschte, es gäbe mehr Zeit. – (“I wish there were more time.”). gäbe is Konjunktiv II of geben (would be giving/there would be).

• Polite requests or offers: Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen? – (“Could you please help me?”). Using könnten (could) or würden (would) with Sie is a very polite way to ask for something. Similarly, Ich hätte gern ein Wasser – “I would like to have a water” is a polite way to say Ich will ein Wasser.

• Suggestions/Advice: Du solltest früher schlafen gehen. – (“You should go to bed earlier.”) – technically solltest is Präteritum of sollen but doubles as a Konjunktiv II suggestion (“you ought to…”).

In English, the subjunctive is not very obvious (“If I were you...”), or we use modal verbs (“would, could, should”). German Konjunktiv II covers all that. It’s used quite widely in both spoken and written German for these purposes. For learners, Konjunktiv II is usually introduced once you get comfortable with past tenses, often around A2-B1 level when you start wanting to express more than just factual statements.

Formation: There are two ways to form Konjunktiv II:

1. Special Konjunktiv II forms (simple form): These are usually based on the Präteritum (simple past) form of the verb, often with an added umlaut on the stem vowel (if it’s a, o, u) and the same endings as Präteritum. For example: sein → war (past) → wäre (Konj II), haben → hatte → hätte, können → konnte → könnte, gehen → ging → ginge, kommen → kam → käme. The endings for these are like past tense: ich -e, du -est, er -e, wir -en, ihr -et, sie -en. Many common verbs have well-known Konjunktiv II forms: wäre, hätte, würde, käme, ginge, wüsste (knew), sollte, könnte, wollte, müsste, dürfte, etc.

   But, for a lot of verbs (especially regular ones or less common ones), the Präteritum form might be indistinguishable or sound odd. For example, arbeiten → past arbeitete. Konjunktiv II would also be arbeitete (identical), which doesn’t clearly sound “hypothetical”.

2. “würde + infinitive” construction: To avoid ambiguity or for any verb where the special form is not commonly used, Germans use würde + infinitive. würde means “would” (it’s actually the Konjunktiv II of werden) and it’s used like an auxiliary. This is by far the most common way to form the conditional, especially in spoken German. For almost any verb, you can say würde + [infinitive]: Ich würde gehen (I would go), er würde es machen (he would do it), wir würden bleiben (we would stay). It’s analogous to English “would ____”. The conjugation of würde follows the pattern: ich würde, du würdest, er würde, wir würden, ihr würdet, sie/Sie würden.

In practice, for many verbs learners just default to würde + infinitive. It’s correct and always understood. The only time you must use the special form is for a handful of verbs that are used often on their own: notably haben -> hätte, sein -> wäre, können -> könnte, müssen -> müsste, sollen -> sollte, wollen -> wollte, dürfen -> dürfte. Also, using würde haben or würde sein is not standard (say hätte or wäre instead). But for any other verb (kommen, gehen, machen, sehen…), würde + infinitive is perfectly fine and often preferred in speech because it sounds natural and clear.

Example Sentences:

• Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, würde ich ein Instrument lernen. – (If I had more time, I would learn an instrument.)

• Würdest du mir helfen, wenn ich dich darum bitte? – (Would you help me if I asked you?)

• Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee. – (I would like a coffee, please.)

• Könntest du mir sagen, wie spät es ist? – (Could you tell me what time it is?)

In the first example, we used hätte (had) and würde… lernen (would learn) to construct a hypothetical. In the polite questions and requests, hätte gern and Könntest du... are both Konjunktiv II forms that make the statements softer and more polite.

Formal vs. Informal: Konjunktiv II is used in both casual and formal settings, but particularly shines for politeness. Using würden or Könnten Sie is how you politely address someone (Würden Sie mir bitte eine Auskunft geben? – “Would you give me some information, please?”). In informal speech among friends, you might not be as flowery, but you’ll still use Konjunktiv II for hypotheticals or wishes (Ich würde jetzt gern ans Meer fahren – “I’d like to go to the sea now.”). It doesn’t sound overly formal; it sounds normal for expressing non-factual scenarios. The key is that Konjunktiv II often involves modal verbs or würde, which soften statements. One cultural note: Germans value polite forms in service and business settings, so mastering phrases like Ich hätte gern… and Könnten Sie…? will make you sound very courteous.

Also, remember the earlier technical note: if the Konjunktiv II of a verb looks the same as its Präteritum, Germans will use würde. For example, laufen (to run) has past lief; Konjunktiv II would be lüfe theoretically, but nobody says that – they’d say würde laufen. For sagen (to say), past sagte and Konj II sagte are identical, so you’d use würde sagen. Essentially, the “würde” form is the safe bet for all those cases.

For an in-depth exploration, read our post Explaining Konjunktiv II – the Conditional in German, which covers both the “würde” construction and the special forms like wäre/hätte, with plenty of examples.)

Having covered all the major tenses and moods, you can see how German’s system, while different from English in some ways, allows you to express any time frame: present, various shades of past, the future, and hypothetical worlds. The key to mastering them is consistent practice – try forming your own sentences for each tense, and pay attention to how native speakers use them (you’ll start to feel when Perfekt sounds right versus Präteritum, or how würde softens a request). This comprehensive guide has given you the what, when, and how for every tense. Now it’s up to you to put them into action!

Ready to take your German to the next level? Don’t just read about grammar – use it! Consider joining one of Olesen Tuition’s online German lessons for interactive practice from anywhere in the world, or, if you’re in London, check out our German classes in London to learn in person with top-rated tutors. Whichever you choose, you’ll get plenty of opportunities to practice these tenses in conversation and get feedback. Viel Erfolg! (Good luck!) Here’s to confident and correct German in every tense and mood.

#germantenses