wenn

Based on: *kwo-
Goethe A2 Conjunction
  1. if
  2. when
1.

if

(In the sense of "if A then B". More common than "falls".)
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Examples
  • Wenn das Wörtchen wenn nicht wär', wär' ich längst schon Millionär.
  • If the word if didn't exist, I would be a millionaire by now.
2.

when

Opposite: falls
(Answers the question word "wann". "Wann" asks, "wenn" answers.)
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Examples
  • Ich schreibe dir, [wenn ich meine Arbeit fertig hab'.]
  • I'll write you       [when I have finished my work].
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Word Family

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Sources for Etymology:

My Articles

Word of the Day – “wenn”

In this episode, we'll take a thorough look at the meaning "wenn" and why it is used the way it's used. It's nerdy, it's silly, it's philosophical :)

Read article →

Wann or Wenn – What’s the difference

"wann" and "wenn" both mean "when" - and there are two ways to find the difference. One is the "What time"-test, the other is to look at what they're answering.

Vocab: wenn, wann, dann und wann, irgendwann, wann anders, hin und wieder

Read article →

Questions in German – Question words

The German question words are very similar to English, but there are some traps. And the sentence structure is quite different. Today, we'll learn all of that.

Read article →

Questions and Comments

Do you have questions about the usage or meaning of “wenn”? Just ask here and I’ll try to clear it up.

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2 Comments
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xv
xv

So my understanding this is ambiguious:

Schau mal vorbei, wenn du Zeit hast.

And could be understood as “if” or “when”. If i want to make sure its understood as “when” you have time rather than “if” which makes it sound more option to me and that it could be delayed idefinitely. But also the vibe is still “relaxed”

What do you think ?

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Emanuel
Admin
Emanuel
Reply to  xv

See, to a German mind, this distinction really isn’t that strong. We make a lot of if/when mistakes when we speak English because of that.
If you want to stress “when” and make it 100%, you should use “sobald” or add something urgent to the first half.

– Schau auf jeden Fall vorbei, wenn du Zeit hast.

So no casual “mal”, that’s for sure.
And still, this sounds like I would think in my head “Und wenn nicht, dann nicht”, which would be an if.

Maybe “das naechste Mal, wenn du Zeit hast” but that’s bending over backwards a bit.

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How many meanings does the German word 'wenn' have?

wenn has 2 distinct meanings: 1. if, 2. when.

What is 'wenn' related to?

The word 'wenn' is related to *kwo-.

Where can I learn more about 'wenn'?

Here are some articles where you can learn more about 'wenn':

Word of the Day – “wenn”
In this episode, we'll take a thorough look at the meaning "wenn" and why it is used the way it's used. It's nerdy, it's silly, it's philosophical :)
Read article

Wann or Wenn – What’s the difference
"wann" and "wenn" both mean "when" - and there are two ways to find the difference. One is the "What time"-test, the other is to look at what they're answering.
Vocab: wenn, wann, dann und wann, irgendwann, wann anders, hin und wieder
Read article

Questions in German – Question words
The German question words are very similar to English, but there are some traps. And the sentence structure is quite different. Today, we'll learn all of that.
Read article