Konjunktiv 2: Using "haben" and "sein" to Form the Past Tense

Konjunktiv 2 is used to express things that are contrary to reality in German. This often takes the form of wishes, hopes, dreams and the like, but doesn’t have to be.

Today’s lesson will start with a brief overview of how “haben” and “sein” are used with the Konjunktiv 2 and then how you can combine this with your knowledge of the Perfekt tense to conquer the past tense of Konjunktiv 2. Grab your notebook and pen and let’s get started.

All Konjunktiv 1 & Konjunktiv 2 Lessons

Konjunktiv 1 vs Konjunktiv 2

Konjunktiv 1 Explained

Konjunktiv 2 Basics with würden

Konjunktiv 2 with hätte & wäre 

Konjunktiv 2 with Special Verbs

Konjunktiv 2 with Modal Verbs 

Konjunktiv 2 Listening Comprehension - Alternative Realities

Polite Requests with Konjunktiv 2 - Konjunktiv 2 Listening Comprehension

When, Why and How to Use "haben" and "sein" in Konjunktiv 2

If you want to say “would have” or “would be” in German, chances are you need to be able to use the Konjunktiv 2 versions of “haben” and “sein”. In order to form those, we start with the Präteritum (simple past) forms of those verbs. Then we add an umlaut and sometimes an E. This makes our forms as follows:

ich hätte - I would have
du hättest - you would have
er, sie, es hätte - he, she, it would have
wir hätten - we would have
ihr hättet - you would have
sie, Sie hätten - they, you would have

ich wäre - I would be
du wärst, wärest - you would be
er, sie, es wäre - he, she, it would be
wir wären - we would be
ihr wärt, wäret - you would be
sie, Sie wären - they, you would be

You’ll notice for the forms of “haben” that we didn’t need to add any extra E’s to the mix, because there are already E’s at the end of every form before the conjugated ending. The er, sie, es form in the Präteritum tense was “hatte”, so the Konjunktiv 2 form can simply be “hätte”. The same is true of the du-form going from “hattest” to “hättest”.

The forms for “sein”, by contrast, generally add an E at the end before any conjugated endings. FYI: Duden lists both “wärest” and “wärst” for du plus “wäret” and “wärt” for ihr. The version without the E is probably more common in speech, but it ultimately is up to you which version you use. The E at the end of the ich and er, sie, es forms, however, is not optional. Those are always “wäre”.

Present Tense Examples of "haben" and "sein" in Konjunktiv 2

Now let’s take a look at a few present tense examples of how to use these verbs.

Ich wäre reicher, wenn ich mehr Geld hätte. -
I would be richer, if I had more money.

This sentence uses both “haben” and “sein” in the ich-form in Konjunktiv 2. You’ll notice that my translation for the second half does not use “would have”, but rather “had”. This is a function of the English subjunctive formation that overlaps with the simple past tense. You can use “had” in the indicative mood (the normal version of sentences). “I had more money. Now I don’t.” Or you can use “had” in the subjunctive in English “If I had more money…”. The difference is context. German makes it more explicit through the use of umlauts and changes in the conjugation.

Hättest du lieber einen Hund oder eine Katze? -
Would you rather have a dog or a cat?

Wärst du lieber ein Hund oder eine Katze? -
Would you rather be a dog or a cat?

Er wäre glücklicher, wenn er mehr Geld hätte. -
He would be happier, if he had more money.

Wir wären klüger, wenn wir Deutschunterricht mit Herrn Antrim hätten. -
We would be smarter, if we had German lessons with Herr Antrim.

Hättet ihr etwas zu trinken? -
Would you have something to drink (for me)?
*This is not the usual sentence you probably are thinking of. This is a person requesting a drink from someone without actually saying “can I have a drink?”

Ihr wärt jeden Tag verspätet, wenn ihr den Bus nehmen würdet. -
You would be late every day, if you took the bus.

Die Kinder wären lauter, wenn sie Schokolade hätten. -
The children would be louder, if they had chocolate.

Past Tense of Konjunktiv 2 Using "haben" and "sein"

While it is definitely an option to use “haben” and “sein” on their own like this in the Konjunktiv 2, it is far more common to hear them used in the past tense with the Konjunktiv 2. Basically we start with the same rules we have for the Perfekt tense. 

If you would normally use “haben” as your helping verb, do the same for the Konjunktiv 2, but conjugate “haben” in the Konjunktiv 2 version. If you would have used “sein”, use “sein”. Don’t forget that the Partizip 2 version of the main verb still goes at the end of the sentence. For example:

Ich hätte lieber Französisch gelernt. -
I would have preferred to learn French.

Wärst du lieber nach Spanien gereist? -
Would you have preferred to travel to Spain?

Ich hätte mehr Spaß gehabt, wäre ich nicht zu Hause geblieben. -
I would have had more fun, if I wouldn’t have stayed at home.

Comparisons Between Indicative and Konjunktiv 2

Sometimes it is easier to see the difference, if we start with the indicative mood (the version you are used to) and then switch into the Konjunktiv 2 versions. Let’s try that a few times and see if it makes more sense to you.

Ich habe die Lektion nicht verstanden. Ich habe nicht wirklich zugehört. -
I didn’t understand the lesson. I didn’t really listen. (Indicative)

Ich hätte die Lektion verstanden, wenn ich wirklich zugehört hätte. -
I would have understood the lesson, if I had really listened. (Konjunktiv 2)

Meine Schwester ist ins Kino gegangen. Sie hat kein Geld. -
My sister went to the movie theater. She has no money. (Indicative)

Wäre meine Schwester nicht ins Kino gegangen, hätte sie Geld (gehabt). -
If my sister hadn’t gone to the movies, she would have money. (Konjunktiv 2)

Er hat den ganzen Kuchen gegessen. Er hat Bauchschmerzen. -
He ate the entire cake. He has a stomach ache. (Indicative)

Hätte er den ganzen Kuchen nicht gegessen, hätte er keine Bauchschmerzen. -
Had he not eaten the entire cake, he wouldn’t have a stomach ache. (Konjunktiv 2)

You don’t have to formulate the entire sentence in Konjunktiv 2.

If part of the sentence is not contrary to reality, you can use the indicative mood. For example:

Er hätte das nicht gemacht, denn er hat Kinder. -
He wouldn’t have done that, because he has children.

Wir wären immer noch auf der Autobahn, aber Google hat gesagt, es gibt dort Stau. -
We would still be on the Autobahn (interstate), but Google said there is a traffic jam there.

All Konjunktiv 1 & Konjunktiv 2 Lessons

Konjunktiv 1 vs Konjunktiv 2

Konjunktiv 1 Explained

Konjunktiv 2 Basics with würden

Konjunktiv 2 with hätte & wäre 

Konjunktiv 2 with Special Verbs

Konjunktiv 2 with Modal Verbs 

Konjunktiv 2 Listening Comprehension - Alternative Realities

Polite Requests with Konjunktiv 2 - Konjunktiv 2 Listening Comprehension