Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide, Second Edition

(b) The past tense of Subjunctive II is a combination of wäre or hätte + the past

participle (depending on whether the verb takes sein or haben in the perfect:

see 33.8):

Examples:

(c) The forms of sein and haben are as follows:

(d) The modal verbs have the following Subjunctive II forms:

 See 35.8 (p. 80).

Infinitive Past subjunctive II in the 3rd person sg.

sein

werden

gehen

haben

geben

machen

er/sie/es/man wäre gewesen

er/sie/es/man wäre geworden

er/sie/es man wäre gegangen

er/sie/es/man hätte gehabt

er/sie/es/man hätte gegeben

er/sie/es/man hätte gemacht

he/she/it/one would have been

he/she/it/one would have become

he/she/it/one would have gone

he/she/it/one would have had

he/she/it/one would have given

he/she/it/one would have done

Present Past

Es wäre schön. Es wäre schön gewesen.

It would be nice. It would have been nice.

Ich hätte mehr Zeit. Ich hätte mehr Zeit gehabt.

I would have more time. I would have had more time.

Person Tense

Present Past

would be would have would have been would have had

ich wäre hätte wäre gewesen hätte gehabt

du wär(e)st hättest wärest gewesen hättest gehabt

Sie wären hätten wären gewesen hätten gehabt

er/sie/es/man wäre hätte wäre gewesen hätte gehabt

wir wären hätten wären gewesen hätten gehabt

ihr wär(e)t hättet wäret gewesen hättet gehabt

Sie/sie wären hätten wären gewesen hätten gehabt

Infinitive 3 rd person sg. present 3 rd person sg. past past

können könnte would be able to hätte... können would have been able to

müssen

wollen

sollen

dürfen

mögen

lassen

müsste

wollte

sollte

dürfte

möchte

ließe

would have to

would want to

would have to

would be

allowed to

would like

would let/allow

hätte... müssen

hätte... wollen

hätte... sollen

hätte... dürfen

hätte... mögen

hätte... lassen

would have had to

would have wanted to

would have had to

would have been

allowed to

would have liked

would have let/would

have allowed

39

Subjunctive