Question 1

Why use hätte gern instead of möchte?

Accepted Answer

Both are polite ways to express that you want something. While möchte means 'would like', hätte gern literally translates to 'would gladly have'. They are largely interchangeable in everyday German when making a request or choosing an option.

Question 2

Why is there no word for 'of' between das Fach and Physik?

Accepted Answer

In German, when a general category or title is followed by a specific name, the two nouns are placed directly next to each other. You don't need a preposition like 'of'. This works exactly like saying 'the month May' (der Monat Mai) or 'the city Berlin' (die Stadt Berlin).

Question 3

How would I add entweder ... oder to this sentence to say I want either physics or chemistry?

Accepted Answer

You would frame the two choices with the two parts of the conjunction. For example: Ich hätte gern entweder das Fach Physik oder Chemie. Because entweder ... oder connects two equal elements (here, two nouns), it does not change your sentence structure or verb placement.

Question 4

Why does the German word Physik not end in an 's' like in English?

Accepted Answer

In English, 'physics' looks plural because of the 's', even though it acts as a singular noun. German academic subjects often end in -ik (die Physik, die Mathematik, die Informatik) and are strictly singular, feminine nouns.

Ich hätte gern das Fach Physik.

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