{"id":11413,"date":"2020-02-06T20:26:55","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T20:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=11413"},"modified":"2020-02-12T13:03:42","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T13:03:42","slug":"dont-let-it-confuse-you-wenn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/dont-let-it-confuse-you-wenn\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Let It Confuse You! – Wenn"},"content":{"rendered":"

In previous posts in this series, we’ve looked at words that exist in English, yet really mean something else in German. Today, we’ll take a look at a word that sounds pretty much the same as the English word, and\u00a0mostly\u00a0<\/em>means the same, but it can get pretty confusing: the word wenn<\/em>. Doesn’t it just mean “when”? Well, kind of. Let’s clear it up.<\/p>\n

For previous posts in this series, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Expectation: Wenn<\/em> just means “when”!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Wenn du um vier Uhr kommen kannst, k\u00f6nnen wir uns treffen.<\/em> (If you can make it at four, we can meet up.) (Image by Malvestida Magazine at Unsplash.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

Perhaps, when hearing\u00a0wenn<\/em>, you would expect it to simply mean the same as in English: “when”. In English, where you use “when”<\/strong>, you refer to a future situation or condition that you are certain <\/strong>of. Where this situation or condition is only\u00a0possible<\/strong>, or perhaps even unreal, you would use “if”<\/strong>.1<\/a><\/sup>Kudos to the Cambridge Dictionary for the simple explanation<\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n

But how is that in German? If\u00a0wenn\u00a0<\/em>just means “when”, how do Germans say “if”? Well, guess what…<\/p>\n

Reality:\u00a0Wenn\u00a0<\/em>means BOTH “if” and “when”!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Wenn du dein Eis fallen l\u00e4sst, kannst du es nicht mehr essen!<\/em> (If you drop your ice cream, you can no longer eat it!) (Image by Sarah Kilian at Unsplash.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

Wenn\u00a0<\/em>means both “if” and “when”! Not having to wonder about whether your sentence is exuding certainty or not, you can simply use the same word. Could this be the only time German is actually easier and more straightforward than English? No, actually.<\/p>\n

In English, you immediately know that “if” prefaces an uncertain situation. “When” gives whatever the sentence says certainty – it’ll be something that is going to happen. Wenn\u00a0<\/em>simply does not give that certainty.<\/p>\n

What also makes it a bit more complicated is that\u00a0wenn\u00a0<\/em>can be used both as a\u00a0konditionale Satzverbindung\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(conditional clause linkage) and a temporale Satzverbindung<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(temporal clause linkage). Where in English, “if” is always conditional, “when” is always temporal. This is where it can get confusing for English speakers.<\/p>\n

Examples of the use of\u00a0wenn<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Examples where wenn<\/em>\u00a0is used as konditionale Satzverbindung<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Wenn<\/strong> ich mich gut benehme, darf ich ein Eis. <\/em>(If<\/strong> I behave well, I can have an ice cream cone.)<\/p>\n

Wenn<\/strong> das Licht aus geht, ist die Gl\u00fchbirne kaputt.\u00a0<\/em>(If\u00a0<\/strong>the light goes out, the light bulb is broken.)<\/p>\n

Examples where wenn<\/em> is used as a temporale Satzverbindung<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Wenn\u00a0<\/strong>sie Zuhause ist, mache ich Abendbrot. <\/em>(When<\/strong> she’s home, I’ll make evening bread<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Lege dich hin, wenn<\/strong> du dich schlecht f\u00fchlst. <\/em>(lie down if\/when<\/strong> you don’t feel good.)<\/p>\n

If the conditional or temporal meaning of wenn <\/em>is not clear (like in the last example), there are different ways to make the “if” more distinct:<\/p>\n

Lege dich hin, falls <\/b>du dich schlecht f\u00fchlst. <\/em>(lie down in case <\/b>you don’t feel good.)<\/p>\n

Ich sage dir bescheid, ob er vorbei kommt.\u00a0<\/em>(I will let you know if he comes by.)<\/p>\n

But in German, we\u00a0do\u00a0<\/em>have a word that can make this distinction –\u00a0falls<\/em>. Falls<\/em> is basically a shorthand for\u00a0f\u00fcr den Fall\/im Fall\u00a0<\/em>(in case of). So you could use\u00a0Falls\u00a0<\/em>to make it very clear that you’re making a conditional sentence:<\/p>\n

Wenn der Ofen aus ist, wird er nicht warm.\u00a0<\/em>(When the oven is off, it does not heat up.)<\/p>\n

Falls der Ofen aus ist, mach’ ihn bitte an.\u00a0<\/em>(If the oven is off, please turn it on.)<\/p>\n

What about wann?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you’ve heard of\u00a0wenn<\/em>, you’ve probably also heard of\u00a0wann<\/em>. While it looks and sounds similar, and also translates to “when”, wann <\/em>is a bit different.\u00a0Wann<\/em> <\/strong>is the adverb<\/strong> usually used in questions to ask for a Zeitpunkt <\/em>(point in time)<\/strong>.\u00a0Wenn\u00a0<\/em>is never used as a question word for a\u00a0Zeitpunkt<\/em>. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n

Wann<\/strong> kommst du nach Hause?\u00a0<\/em>(When<\/strong> are you coming home?)<\/p>\n

Ich frage mich, wann<\/strong> er nach Hause kommt.<\/em> (I am wondering when<\/strong> he’s coming home.)<\/p>\n

Wei\u00dft du, wann<\/strong> der Laden schlie\u00dft? <\/em>(Do you know when<\/strong> the store closes?)<\/p>\n

If you would want to make these\u00a0wann\u00a0<\/em>conditional, you would NOT use wenn<\/em>, but\u00a0ob<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Ich frage mich, ob<\/strong> er nach Hause kommt.<\/em> (I am wondering if<\/strong> he’s coming home.)<\/p>\n

Wei\u00dft du, ob<\/strong> der Laden schlie\u00dft?\u00a0<\/em>(Do you know if<\/strong> the store closes?)<\/p>\n

The main takeaway is:\u00a0When\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0wenn\u00a0<\/em>are not the same, and wenn <\/em>is a lot more versatile! Have you been confused by these before? Is there another word that confused you? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are the basics of using wann<\/em>. If you want a more in-depth explanation of wann <\/em>and where to use it, this website<\/a> explains it in more detail.<\/p>\n