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Ich möchte meine Angst endlich loswerden.

Ich möchte meine Angst endlich loswerden.
I would like to finally get rid of my fear.
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Questions & Answers about Ich möchte meine Angst endlich loswerden.

What exactly does möchte mean here, and how is it different from will?

Möchte is a softened way of saying “want to” – it’s the form most often used for polite or less direct wishes.

  • Ich möchte … ≈ “I’d like to … / I want to … (but I’m saying it politely / carefully).”
  • Ich will … = “I want to … (clearly, strongly, directly).”

So:

  • Ich möchte meine Angst endlich loswerden.
    = “I’d really like to finally get rid of my fear.”

  • Ich will meine Angst endlich loswerden.
    = “I want to finally get rid of my fear.” (more determined, can sound more forceful or impatient, depending on tone)

Both are grammatically correct; möchte is just softer and more common in everyday speech when talking about wishes or plans.

Why is loswerden at the very end of the sentence, and why is it written as one word?

There are two key points:

  1. Modal verb + infinitive word order

    In German, when you use a modal verb like möchten, können, müssen, etc.:

    • The modal is conjugated and stands in second position.
    • The main verb is an infinitive at the end of the clause.

    So:

    • Ich möchte … loswerden.
      möchte = 2nd position (conjugated)
      loswerden = infinitive at the end

  2. Why one word?

    In dictionaries you’ll find loswerden listed as one verb meaning “to get rid of”.
    In an infinitive form (like here, after möchte), it’s written together: loswerden.

    In a normal present-tense sentence without a modal, it “splits”:

    • Ich werde meine Angst nicht los.
      (literally: “I become my fear not rid.”)

So in this sentence:

  • möchte = modal verb in 2nd position
  • loswerden = infinitive of the main verb at the end
Is loswerden just the future tense of werden, or does it have its own meaning?

Loswerden is not a future tense. It is its own verb with a specific meaning:

  • loswerden = “to get rid of (something / someone)”

Examples:

  • Ich möchte meine Angst loswerden.
    I want to get rid of my fear.
  • Ich werde diesen Ohrwurm nicht los.
    I can’t get rid of this earworm (song stuck in my head).

So here:

  • werden is not forming a future tense,
  • it’s part of the verb loswerden, which has the meaning “to get rid of”.
Why is it meine Angst and not vor meiner Angst? Which case does loswerden take?

The verb loswerden takes a direct object in the accusative case.

  • etwas loswerden = “to get rid of something”

So you say:

  • Ich möchte meine Angst loswerden.
    meine Angst = accusative object (what you want to get rid of)

That’s why you don’t use vor here.
Vor with Angst is used with Angst haben:

  • Ich habe Angst vor Spinnen.
    I’m afraid of spiders.

Compare:

  • Ich möchte meine Angst loswerden.
    I want to get rid of my fear. (fear = thing you remove)
  • Ich habe Angst vor Spinnen.
    I’m afraid of spiders. (spiders = thing you fear)
What gender is Angst, and how do I talk about different kinds of fear?

Angst is feminine in German:

  • die Angst – the fear
  • meine Angst – my fear
  • der Angst – dative/genitive singular

It also has a plural:

  • die Ängste – fears

Examples:

  • Ich habe große Angst. – I’m very afraid.
  • meine größten Ängste – my biggest fears
  • die Angst vor dem Versagen – the fear of failure
  • die Angst vor der Dunkelheit – the fear of the dark

In your sentence:

  • meine Angst = singular, accusative (because of loswerden)
Could I also say Ich möchte keine Angst mehr haben? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can; both are correct, but they feel slightly different:

  1. Ich möchte meine Angst endlich loswerden.

    • Focus on removing something you already have.
    • Sounds like there is a specific, known fear you’re carrying around.
    • Slightly more “active”: “I want to get rid of this fear.”

  2. Ich möchte keine Angst mehr haben.

    • Literally: “I don’t want to have fear anymore.”
    • Focus on the state of not being afraid.
    • More general; could be about fear in general, not just one specific fear.

In many situations, both would work, but:

  • Talking about a specific fear (e.g. fear of flying), meine Angst loswerden is very natural.
  • Talking about a general life wish to stop being fearful, keine Angst mehr haben sounds very natural.
Where can I put endlich in this sentence, and does the position change the meaning?

Endlich is a sentence adverb meaning “finally / at last”, and it can move around a bit. All of these are possible:

  1. Ich möchte meine Angst endlich loswerden.
  2. Ich möchte endlich meine Angst loswerden.
  3. Endlich möchte ich meine Angst loswerden.

The basic meaning is the same, but there are small nuances:

  1. … meine Angst endlich loswerden.

    • Very neutral; “finally” seems to emphasize the action of getting rid of it.

  2. Ich möchte endlich meine Angst loswerden.

    • Slightly more emphasis on the wanting:
      “I finally want to get rid of my fear” (I’ve wanted this for a long time).

  3. Endlich möchte ich …

    • Strongest focus on “Finally!” at the start.
    • Sounds like a change or a turning point.

All three are correct; (1) and (2) are the most common in everyday speech.

Why do we sometimes say Ich habe Angst (with no article) but here it’s meine Angst with a possessive?

With haben + Angst, it’s very common to use Angst without any article:

  • Ich habe Angst. – I am afraid.
  • Hast du Angst? – Are you afraid?

Here, Angst behaves almost like an abstract mass noun (“fear as a feeling”), similar to “I feel fear”.

When you say meine Angst, you are talking about:

  • a specific, personal fear, as if it were an identifiable “thing” you carry:
    • meine Angst, deine Angst, seine Angst, etc.

So:

  • Ich habe Angst.
    = I’m (currently) afraid.

  • Ich möchte meine Angst loswerden.
    = I want to get rid of my fear (this particular fear I struggle with).

Using meine (or any possessive/article) makes Angst feel more concrete or personal.

What tense or mood is möchte? Is this sentence present, future, or something like “would like to”?

Grammatically, möchte is the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) form of mögen, but:

  • In modern everyday German, möchte is used almost like its own present‑tense verb meaning:
    • “would like to” / “want to (politely)”.

So:

  • Ich möchte meine Angst endlich loswerden.
    is present tense, expressing a current wish or intention.

It does not automatically create a future tense (German doesn’t need a special future form here). Context tells you it’s about the future result:

  • Now I have this wish -> in the future I want this fear to be gone.
Can I say Ich will meine Angst endlich loswerden instead? How does that sound?

Yes, you can. The sentence is correct, and many native speakers would use it, especially when they want to sound very determined.

Nuance:

  • Ich möchte meine Angst endlich loswerden.
    = I’d like to finally get rid of my fear.
    Polite, more neutral, slightly softer.

  • Ich will meine Angst endlich loswerden.
    = I really want to finally get rid of my fear.
    Stronger, more forceful, more emotional or resolute.

It’s not rude by itself; whether it sounds harsh depends on context and tone of voice. In written form, möchte is usually the safer, more neutral choice for expressing wishes and plans.