If you’re getting to grips with German, you’ve probably come across the word ‘when’ quite a few times. But did you know that there are actually three different ways to say ‘when’ in German, and each has its specific usage?
Don’t worry, though—it’s not as tricky as it sounds, and we’re here to guide you through it! By the end of this post, you’ll know exactly when to use wann, wenn, and als in German. So, let’s get started and don’t forget to listen to the podcast to hear how the knowledge of this word can help when travelling on public transport in a German-speaking country!
‘When’ in German: the three forms
As we mentioned previously, ‘when’ in German can be translated into three different words. The terms are – wann, als and wenn and knowing the difference between them is very helpful if you want to prove you speak a little German.
Wann
The first form of saying ‘when’ in German is wann. It’s used when asking a question about time. Think of it as the German version of ‘when’ in English, when you’re trying to find out at what time something happened or will happen.
Let’s see some examples:
- Wann beginnt der Film? When does the movie start?
- Wann kommst du nach Hause? When are you coming home?
In both of these cases, you’re asking for specific information about time. Simple, right? The tip here is: If you can replace ‘when’ with ‘at what time’ in your sentence, you’ll use wann in German!
Wenn
Next up, we have wenn, which is super versatile. You’ll use wenn when you’re talking about something that could happen in the future or something that happens repeatedly.
Let’s break it down:
- Wenn ich Zeit habe, gehe ich ins Fitnessstudio. When/Whenever/If I have time, I go to the gym.
As you can see, wenn is the word to use when talking about hypothetical or recurring situations. It’s used for things that can happen or usually happen.
Als
Lastly, we have als. This variation is used when you’re talking about events in the past. Here are a few examples:
- Als ich in Deutschland war, habe ich viel Deutsch gesprochen. When I was in Germany, I spoke a lot of German.
- Als ich klein war, hatte ich einen Hund. When I was little, I had a dog.
Notice how in both examples, the action happened in the past for a specific period of time, not a regularly recurring event. That’s why we use als.
Keep practising wann, wenn and als in German!
Now that you know the difference between wann, wenn, and als, you’re well on your way to mastering the use of ‘when’ in German! The best way to get comfortable with these is to practice, so try using them in your conversations or jot down a few sentences to reinforce your learning.
And remember, learning a language is all about small steps. So don’t stress if you mix them up at first, just keep practising, and you’ll get the hang of it. And if you would like to review vocabulary and grammar in German, don’t miss the blog post and podcast episode we prepared to help you with that!
