Dreaming with "wäre" (would be)
To talk about dreams, wishes, and unreal situations, German uses a grammatical mood called the Subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II). Let's start with the verb sein (to be). Its subjunctive form is wäre (would be). Add the word gern to express what you would like to be.
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | wäre |
| du | wärst |
| er/sie/es | wäre |
| wir | wären |
| ihr | wärt |
| sie/Sie | wären |
| I would like to be a rich man. | Ich wäre gern ein reicher Mann. |
| A luxurious villa would be very beautiful. | Eine luxuriöse Villa wäre sehr schön. |
| A long world trip would be wonderful. | Eine lange Weltreise wäre wunderbar. |
Wishing with "hätte" (would have)
The Subjunctive II form of haben (to have) is hätte (would have). You can use it to talk about luxury and the things you wish you had. Use hätte gern for things you would like to have.
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte |
| du | hättest |
| er/sie/es | hätte |
| wir | hätten |
| ihr | hättet |
| sie/Sie | hätten |
| A millionaire would have a large villa. | Ein Millionär hätte eine große Villa. |
| I would like a fast car. | Ich hätte gern ein schnelles Auto. |
| Would you like jewelry made of gold? | Hättest du gern Schmuck aus Gold? |
Unreal conditions with "wenn" (if)
To describe what would happen if your dreams came true, use a conditional sentence starting with wenn (if). Because these situations are hypothetical, both halves of the sentence use the Subjunctive II.
Remember your word order rules: wenn kicks the conjugated verb (like hätte or wäre) to the very end of its clause. When the wenn-clause comes first in a sentence, the main clause immediately follows it and must start directly with its verb.
| If I had luck in the lottery, I would be rich. | Wenn ich Glück im Lotto hätte, wäre ich reich. |
| If she were rich, she would have a lot of jewelry. | Wenn sie reich wäre, hätte sie viel Schmuck. |
| If I were a millionaire, I would have no problems. | Wenn ich Millionär wäre, hätte ich keine Probleme. |
