Weißt du, wann der Laden schließt? (Do you know when the store closes?) ![]() Ich frage mich, wann er nach Hause kommt. Wann kommst du nach Hause? ( When are you coming home?) Wenn is never used as a question word for a Zeitpunkt. Wannis the adverb usually used in questions to ask for a Zeitpunkt (point in time). While it looks and sounds similar, and also translates to “when”, wann is a bit different. If you’ve heard of wenn, you’ve probably also heard of wann. Wenn der Ofen aus ist, wird er nicht warm. (When the oven is off, it does not heat up.)įalls der Ofen aus ist, mach’ ihn bitte an. (If the oven is off, please turn it on.) What about wann? So you could use Falls to make it very clear that you’re making a conditional sentence: Falls is basically a shorthand for für den Fall/im Fall (in case of). Ich sage dir bescheid, ob er vorbei kommt. (I will let you know if he comes by.)īut in German, we do have a word that can make this distinction – falls. Lege dich hin, falls du dich schlecht fühlst. If the conditional or temporal meaning of wenn is not clear (like in the last example), there are different ways to make the “if” more distinct: Lege dich hin, wenn du dich schlecht fühlst. ( When she’s home, I’ll make evening bread.) Wenn sie Zuhause ist, mache ich Abendbrot. ![]() Wenn das Licht aus geht, ist die Glühbirne kaputt. ( If the light goes out, the light bulb is broken.)Įxamples where wenn is used as a temporale Satzverbindung: ( If I behave well, I can have an ice cream cone.) Wenn ich mich gut benehme, darf ich ein Eis. Examples of the use of wennĮxamples where wenn is used as konditionale Satzverbindung: This is where it can get confusing for English speakers. Where in English, “if” is always conditional, “when” is always temporal. What also makes it a bit more complicated is that wenn can be used both as a konditionale Satzverbindung (conditional clause linkage) and a temporale Satzverbindung(temporal clause linkage). Wenn simply does not give that certainty. “When” gives whatever the sentence says certainty – it’ll be something that is going to happen. In English, you immediately know that “if” prefaces an uncertain situation. Could this be the only time German is actually easier and more straightforward than English? No, actually. Wenn means both “if” and “when”! Not having to wonder about whether your sentence is exuding certainty or not, you can simply use the same word. Während der Mittagspause trifft sie eine Kollegin.ĭuring her lunch break she meet with her colleagues.Wenn du dein Eis fallen lässt, kannst du es nicht mehr essen! (If you drop your ice cream, you can no longer eat it!) (Image by Sarah Kilian at ) Während des Essens sollte man nicht telefonieren. "während" - during, while goes with the genitive, in the spoken language it is often followed by the dative. ![]() Während / during, while - temporal preposition + genitive: While he is waiting for the train at the station, he is talking to other travellers. Während er am Bahnhof auf den Zug wartet, unterhält er sich mit einem anderen Reisenden. Während / during, while - temporal conjunction: Both, the preposition "während" and the conjunction "während" can express this simulaneousness. Those two actions happen at the same time. während (preposition + genitive) "während" - during, while describes the situation when several actions proceed simultaneously. There are diffent possibilities to use "während" - during, while: German - während - during, while - conjunction - preposition - Grammar - während - during, while - conjunction and preposition
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