These words are spelled similar, sound similar, and yet can change a sentence dramatically. Today we will talk about what the differences are between these three verbs.
There are also other ways to use these verbs that I have not mentioned in this post, in order to keep it simple, clear, and to focus on what the main differences are.

 

How to use “werden”

This verb means “to become” in present tense when used as an auxiliary verb.

 

For example:

heute werde ich 30 Jahre alt

I will become 30 years old today

 

ich werde Hunger haben

I will become hungry

 

Werden can also be used for the verb “I will” for the future tense:

ich werde heute zum Arzt gehen

I will go to the doctor today

 

wir werden morgen in den Urlaub fliegen

We will go on holiday tomorrow

 

Here is how you would say it depending on the conjugation:

ich (I) werde

du (you) wirst 

er/sie/es (he/she/it) wird

wir (we) werden 

ihr (you plural) werdet

sie (they) werden

 

How to use “wurden”

The verb “wurden” is the past tense of “werden” it means I/he/she/we became.

For example:

er wurde Aggressiv

He became aggressive

 

It can also translate to “were” and “has been”:

das Haus wurde verkauft

The house has been sold

 

wir wurden gestern informiert

We were informed yesterday

 

Here is how you would say it depending on the conjugation:

ich (I) wurde

du (you) wurdest 

er/sie/es (he/she/it) wurde

wir (we) wurden 

ihr (you plural) wurdet 

sie (they) wurden 

How to use “würden”

This verb means I/he/she/we would and can be used to show the possibility of doing something.

For example:

ich würde gerne morgen da hingehen, aber ich habe schon Pläne.

I would love to go there tomorrow, but I already have plans.

 

ich würde deine Arbeit übernehmen, wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte.

I would take over your work if I had more time.

 

It is also used as a more polite way of asking for things:

würdest du bitte meine Tasche halten?

Would you please hold my bag?

Here is how you would say it depending on the conjugation:

ich (I) würde

du (you) würdest

er/sie/es (he/she/it) würde

wir (we) würden

ihr (you plural) würdet

sie (they) würden

 

So to summarize these three verbs, werden is usually used for the future tense, wurden is past tense and würden is conditional and is used in the present tense.

If you need help on how to pronounce Umlauts (ü/ö/ä) have a look at this post here from Conni

 

Thanks for reading,

Larissa