Deutsch — Real conditional clauses
Real conditions describe things that can actually happen. In German they use the conjunctions wenn or falls, and the verb of the wenn-clause moves to the very end: Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.
How it works
In the wenn/falls clause the conjugated verb goes last (Wenn du Zeit hast). If that clause comes first, the main clause starts with its verb and dann is optional: Wenn du willst, (dann) helfe ich dir. If the main clause comes first, no dann is used: Ich helfe dir, wenn du willst.
Examples
| German sentence | Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause. | wenn first, verb at end + verb-first main clause | If it rains, I stay at home. |
| Wenn du willst, (dann) helfe ich dir. | optional dann in the main clause | If you want, (then) I'll help you. |
| Falls du Zeit hast, komm vorbei. | falls = wenn (in case / if) | If you have time, come by. |
| Ich rufe dich an, wenn ich ankomme. | main clause first, no dann | I'll call you when I arrive. |
| Kommst du mit, freue ich mich. | conditional without wenn: verb first | If you come along, I'll be glad. |
| Hast du Fragen, frag mich. | without wenn + imperative main clause | If you have questions, ask me. |
Good to know
Don't keep normal word order after wenn: it is Wenn du Zeit hast (verb last), not Wenn du hast Zeit. Also, use dann only in the main clause when the wenn-clause comes first — never Wenn du willst, dann ich helfe dir (the verb must stay in second position: (dann) helfe ich dir).