Der Arzt meinte, ich könne spielen, wenn ich mich gut entspanne.

The doctor said I could play if I relax well.

Breakdown of Der Arzt meinte, ich könne spielen, wenn ich mich gut entspanne.

• spielen: to play
• ich: I
• können: can
• mich: me
• wenn: if
• gut: well
• der Arzt: the doctor
• meinen: to think
• entspannen: to relax

Questions & Answers about Der Arzt meinte, ich könne spielen, wenn ich mich gut entspanne.

What tense and mood is used in meinte, and why is it not the present tense?

Meinte is the simple past (Präteritum) of meinen. In German, it’s common to use the Präteritum for verbs like meinen, sagen, fragen etc., in narrative or written style. That’s why the doctor’s statement is reported in the past.

Why is könne used instead of kann?

Könne is the Konjunktiv I form of können, used for indirect or reported speech. It signals that you are relaying someone else’s words rather than stating your own ability. If you said it yourself, you’d use kann.

Why does könne come before spielen, and why do the verbs appear at the end in the wenn-clause?

In the main clause (“Der Arzt meinte”), the verb is second: meinte. In a subordinate clause introduced by wenn, German requires verb‐final word order. Since könne is part of that subordinate clause, it moves to the end: “… wenn ich mich gut entspanne.”

What kind of clause does wenn introduce here?

Wenn here means “if.” It introduces a conditional subordinate clause. In German conditional clauses, wenn triggers verb‐final position.

Why is there a comma before wenn?

German rules require a comma before every subordinate clause marker (like wenn, dass, weil). So you place a comma before wenn to separate the main and subordinate clauses.

What is sich entspanne, and why do we need sich?

Sich entspannen is a reflexive verb meaning “to relax.” The reflexive pronoun sich corresponds to “myself” here (ich → mich) because the subject relaxes itself. In a subordinate clause you still keep the reflexive pronoun: “… wenn ich mich gut entspanne.”

Why is gut placed before entspanne?

Gut is an adverb modifying entspanne, so it usually appears right in front of the verb or verb complex. Word order for adverbs is more flexible than in English, but placing gut immediately before entspanne is natural in German.

Could you use Konjunktiv II here instead of Konjunktiv I?

You could say könnte (Konjunktiv II) to express more hypothetical or polite possibility: “The doctor said I could play if I relaxed well.” However, standard reported speech uses Konjunktiv I (könne) unless it’s identical to the indicative, in which case you’d switch to Konjunktiv II to avoid confusion.