Practising the conditional tense
Question
Use the verb endings shown above to complete the German sentences below.
- I would buy a big house. – Ich __________ ein großes Haus kaufen.
- He would eat a tasty pizza. – Er __________ eine leckere Pizza essen.
- We would do our homework. – Wir __________ unsere Hausaufgaben machen.
- You would visit your friends. – Du __________ deine Freunde besuchen.
- I would buy a big house. – Ich würde ein großes Haus kaufen.
- He would eat a tasty pizza. – Er würde eine leckere Pizza essen.
- We would do our homework. – Wir würden unsere Hausaufgaben machen.
- You would visit your friends. – Du würdest deine Freunde besuchen.
Question
Complete the German sentences below.
Don’t forget that there must always be an infinitive verb at the end of the sentence.
- She would go to the cinema. – Sie __________ ins Kino __________.
- They would fly to Portugal. – Sie __________ nach Portugal __________.
- We would live in the countryside. – Wir __________ auf dem Land __________.
- You would be happy. – Ihr __________ glücklich __________.
- She would go to the cinema. – Sie würde ins Kino gehen.
- They would fly to Portugal. – Sie würden nach Portugal fliegen.
- We would live in the countryside. – Wir würden auf dem Land wohnen.
- You would be happy. – Ihr würdet glücklich sein.
Question
Match up the conditional sentences in German and English and then check your answers.
| German | English |
| 1. Ich würde ins Kino gehen. | A. She would swim every day. |
| 2. Wir würden nach Italien fliegen. | B. I would go to the cinema. |
| 3. Er würde seine Freunde besuchen. | C. They would go into town. |
| 4. Ich würde in einem Dorf wohnen. | D. He would visit his friends. |
| 5. Sie würde jeden Tag schwimmen. | E. We would buy a present. |
| 6. Wir würden ein Geschenk kaufen. | F. We would fly to Italy. |
| 7. Du würdest ins Theater gehen. | G. I would live in a village. |
| 8. Sie würden in die Stadt gehen. | H. You would go to the theatre. |
| German | 1. Ich würde ins Kino gehen. |
|---|---|
| English | A. She would swim every day. |
| German | 2. Wir würden nach Italien fliegen. |
|---|---|
| English | B. I would go to the cinema. |
| German | 3. Er würde seine Freunde besuchen. |
|---|---|
| English | C. They would go into town. |
| German | 4. Ich würde in einem Dorf wohnen. |
|---|---|
| English | D. He would visit his friends. |
| German | 5. Sie würde jeden Tag schwimmen. |
|---|---|
| English | E. We would buy a present. |
| German | 6. Wir würden ein Geschenk kaufen. |
|---|---|
| English | F. We would fly to Italy. |
| German | 7. Du würdest ins Theater gehen. |
|---|---|
| English | G. I would live in a village. |
| German | 8. Sie würden in die Stadt gehen. |
|---|---|
| English | H. You would go to the theatre. |
- Ich würde ins Kino gehen. – B. I would go to the cinema.
- Wir würden nach Italien fliegen. – F. We would fly to Italy.
- Er würde seine Freunde besuchen. – D. He would visit his friends.
- Ich würde in einem Dorf wohnen. – G. I would live in a village.
- Sie würde jeden Tag schwimmen. – A. She would swim every day.
- Wir würden ein Geschenk kaufen. – E. We would buy a present.
- Du würdest ins Theater gehen. – H. You would go to the theatre.
- Sie würden in die Stadt gehen. – C. They would go into town.
Did you know?
The roots of the English language can be traced back to Germanic settlers who first arrived in Britain around the fifth century AD. These early settlers travelled from what is now Denmark and northern Germany and brought their language with them.
As a result, many English words are directly related to German words. These words are known as cognates. For example, the word ‘will’ comes from the Old English word ‘willan’, which in turn comes from the German verb wollen – to want.
There are many more words which are closely related in both languages, just think of Hund (dog or hound), Mann (man), Fuß (foot), Hand (hand) and Ohr (ear).