Breakdown of Wenn sie reich wäre, hätte sie viel Schmuck.
sein
to be
sie
she
haben
to have
viel
much / a lot
reich
rich
wenn
if / when (conditional, not a question word)
der Schmuck
the jewelry
Questions & Answers about Wenn sie reich wäre, hätte sie viel Schmuck.
Why do we use wäre and hätte instead of ist and hat?
This sentence describes an unreal or imaginary situation (she is not actually rich). To show this, German uses the Konjunktiv II. wäre is the Konjunktiv II form of sein (meaning were or would be), and hätte is the form for haben (meaning would have).
Why is wäre at the very end of the first phrase before the comma?
The word Wenn (if) is a subordinating conjunction. It always kicks the conjugated verb of its clause to the very end. That is why wäre sits right before the comma.
Why does the second half say hätte sie instead of sie hätte?
In German, the verb of a main clause must be in the second position. Since the entire Wenn clause counts as the first position, the main clause verb (hätte) must come immediately after the comma to take that second slot. The subject (sie) then steps directly behind it.
Why do we say viel Schmuck instead of viele Schmuck?
Schmuck (jewelry) is an uncountable noun in German, just like in English. Because you cannot count it, you use viel (much or a lot of) without an ending. The word viele (many) is only used for countable things.
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