Welcome to Lesson 43 of the Latinum Institute’s German Course. This lesson focuses on the temporal interrogative and conjunction “when” - in German: “wann” (interrogative), “wenn” (conditional/repeated), and “als” (past single event).
Course Index: https://latinum.substack.com/p/index
FAQ: What does “when” mean in German? Answer: German has three words for “when”: “wann” asks questions about time, “wenn” introduces conditional clauses or repeated actions, and “als” refers to single events in the past. This distinction is crucial for proper German expression.
In these 15 examples, you’ll encounter all three forms in various contexts, learning when to use each one. This fundamental distinction affects both spoken and written German at all levels.
Key Takeaways: -
“Wann” for questions: Wann kommst du? (When are you coming?) -
“Wenn” for conditions and repeated actions: wenn es regnet (when/if it rains) -
“Als” for single past events: als ich jung war (when I was young) -
Word order changes in subordinate clauses
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
-
wann [van] - like “vahn” with clear ‘a’ -
wenn [vɛn] - like “ven” with short ‘e’ -
als [als] - like “ahls”
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
43.1 Wann when kommst come du you nach to Hause? home
43.2 Ich I weiß know nicht, not wann when er he ankommt arrives
43.3 Wenn when es it regnet, rains bleibe stay ich I zu at Hause home
43.4 Als when ich I Kind child war, was wohnte lived ich I in in Berlin Berlin
43.5 Seit since wann when arbeitest work du you hier? here
43.6 Wenn when du you Zeit time hast, have ruf call mich me an on
43.7 Er he fragt, asks wann when die the Geschäfte shops öffnen open
43.8 Als when sie she ankam, arrived waren were alle all schon already da there
43.9 Immer always wenn when ich I sie her sehe, see lächelt smiles sie she
43.10 Bis until wann when musst must du you das that fertig finished haben? have
43.11 Wenn if das that stimmt, is-correct haben have wir we ein a Problem problem
43.12 Als when es it passierte, happened war was niemand nobody da there
43.13 Ab from wann when gilt is-valid der the neue new Fahrplan? timetable
43.14 Wenn whenever er he kommt, comes bringt brings er he Blumen flowers mit along
43.15 Als when wir we uns ourselves trafen, met war was es it Liebe love auf at den the ersten first Blick glance
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
43.1 “When are you coming home?”
43.2 “I don’t know when he’s arriving.”
43.3 “When it rains, I stay at home.”
43.4 “When I was a child, I lived in Berlin.”
43.5 “Since when have you been working here?”
43.6 “When you have time, call me.”
43.7 “He’s asking when the shops open.”
43.8 “When she arrived, everyone was already there.”
43.9 “Whenever I see her, she smiles.”
43.10 “By when do you need to have that finished?”
43.11 “If that’s true, we have a problem.”
43.12 “When it happened, nobody was there.”
43.13 “From when is the new timetable valid?”
43.14 “Whenever he comes, he brings flowers.”
43.15 “When we met, it was love at first sight.”
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
43.1 Wann kommst du nach Hause?
43.2 Ich weiß nicht, wann er ankommt.
43.3 Wenn es regnet, bleibe ich zu Hause.
43.4 Als ich Kind war, wohnte ich in Berlin.
43.5 Seit wann arbeitest du hier?
43.6 Wenn du Zeit hast, ruf mich an.
43.7 Er fragt, wann die Geschäfte öffnen.
43.8 Als sie ankam, waren alle schon da.
43.9 Immer wenn ich sie sehe, lächelt sie.
43.10 Bis wann musst du das fertig haben?
43.11 Wenn das stimmt, haben wir ein Problem.
43.12 Als es passierte, war niemand da.
43.13 Ab wann gilt der neue Fahrplan?
43.14 Wenn er kommt, bringt er Blumen mit.
43.15 Als wir uns trafen, war es Liebe auf den ersten Blick.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Grammar Rules for This Passage:
The three German words for “when” have distinct uses:
Wann (interrogative): -
Direct questions: Wann kommst du? -
Indirect questions: Ich weiß nicht, wann... -
With prepositions: seit wann (since when), bis wann (until when), ab wann (from when)
Wenn (conditional/repeated): -
Conditional clauses: Wenn es regnet... (If/When it rains...) -
Repeated actions in present/future: Immer wenn... (Whenever...) -
Can mean both “when” and “if” depending on context
Als (single past event): -
One-time past events: Als ich ankam... (When I arrived...) -
Past states: Als ich jung war... (When I was young...) -
Never used for present or future
Word Order: -
Questions with “wann”: verb second -
Subordinate clauses with “wenn/als”: verb at end -
Main clause after “wenn/als” clause: verb first (inversion)
Common Mistakes: -
Using “wann” instead of “wenn” in subordinate clauses -
Using “wenn” instead of “als” for single past events -
Forgetting verb-final position in subordinate clauses -
Confusing “wenn” (when/if) with “wann” (when?) -
Using “als” for repeated past actions (should be “wenn”)
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The distinction between “wann,” “wenn,” and “als” is fundamental to German and has no direct parallel in English. This often causes difficulties for English speakers, as English “when” covers all three meanings.
Usage Patterns: -
Formal German maintains strict distinction between all three -
Colloquial speech sometimes blurs wenn/wann in certain dialects -
Written German always requires correct usage
Regional Variations: -
Some dialects use “wie” (how) instead of “als” for past events -
Southern German may use “wo” colloquially for “als” -
Swiss German has additional temporal markers
Common Expressions: -
“Wenn schon, denn schon” (In for a penny, in for a pound) -
“Als ob!” (As if!) -
“Wann immer” (whenever - formal alternative to “immer wenn”) -
“Seit wann denn das?” (Since when? - expressing surprise)
Temporal Precision: Germans value punctuality and precise time references, reflected in the language’s detailed temporal markers.
Reminder: Lesson for English speakers learning German
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
From Hermann Hesse’s “Stufen” (1941):
Part F-A: Interleaved Text Wie as jede every Blüte blossom welkt wilts und and jede every Jugend youth dem the-DAT Alter age weicht, yields blüht blooms jede every Lebensstufe life-stage
Part F-B: The Text from F-A “Wie jede Blüte welkt und jede Jugend dem Alter weicht, blüht jede Lebensstufe” → “As every blossom wilts and every youth yields to age, every stage of life blooms”
Part F-C: Original Target Language Text of F-A Only Wie jede Blüte welkt und jede Jugend dem Alter weicht, blüht jede Lebensstufe
Part F-D: Grammar Commentary Hesse uses “wie” (as/like) here as a temporal conjunction similar to “wenn.” Note the poetic word order and the dative case “dem Alter” (to age). The verb “weicht” (yields) takes dative. This shows how German poetry can employ various conjunctions for temporal relationships beyond the standard wann/wenn/als distinction.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
43.16 „Wann when haben have Sie you-FORMAL denn then Zeit time für for ein a Meeting?” meeting
43.17 „Wenn if es it Ihnen you-DAT passt, suits können can wir we uns ourselves morgen tomorrow treffen” meet
43.18 „Ab from wann when sind are Sie you morgen tomorrow verfügbar?” available
43.19 „Als when wir we letztes last Mal time sprachen, spoke erwähnten mentioned Sie you neue new Projekte” projects
43.20 „Ja, yes wenn when alles everything klappt, works-out starten start wir we im in-the Mai” May
43.21 „Bis until wann when brauchen need Sie you meine my Entscheidung?” decision
43.22 „Wenn if möglich, possible bis by Freitag” Friday
43.23 „Als when ich I die the E-Mail email bekam, received war was ich I überrascht” surprised
43.24 „Immer always wenn when wir we uns ourselves treffen, meet gibt gives es it viel much zu to besprechen” discuss
43.25 „Wann when war was das the letzte last Mal, time dass that wir we alle all zusammen together waren?” were
43.26 „Das that war, was als when wir we das the Projekt project abschlossen” completed
43.27 „Wenn when Sie you Fragen questions haben, have melden report Sie you sich yourself bitte” please
43.28 „Seit since wann when läuft runs das the neue new System?” system
43.29 „Seit since Montag, Monday als when die the Techniker technicians fertig finished waren” were
43.30 „Wenn when wir we uns ourselves nächste next Woche week sehen, see bringe bring ich I die the Unterlagen documents mit” along
Part B: Natural Sentences
43.16 “When do you have time for a meeting?”
43.17 “If it suits you, we can meet tomorrow.”
43.18 “From what time are you available tomorrow?”
43.19 “When we spoke last time, you mentioned new projects.”
43.20 “Yes, if everything works out, we’ll start in May.”
43.21 “By when do you need my decision?”
43.22 “If possible, by Friday.”
43.23 “When I received the email, I was surprised.”
43.24 “Whenever we meet, there’s a lot to discuss.”
43.25 “When was the last time we were all together?”
43.26 “That was when we completed the project.”
43.27 “If you have questions, please get in touch.”
43.28 “Since when has the new system been running?”
43.29 “Since Monday, when the technicians finished.”
43.30 “When we see each other next week, I’ll bring the documents.”
Part C: Target Language Only
43.16 „Wann haben Sie denn Zeit für ein Meeting?”
43.17 „Wenn es Ihnen passt, können wir uns morgen treffen.”
43.18 „Ab wann sind Sie morgen verfügbar?”
43.19 „Als wir letztes Mal sprachen, erwähnten Sie neue Projekte.”
43.20 „Ja, wenn alles klappt, starten wir im Mai.”
43.21 „Bis wann brauchen Sie meine Entscheidung?”
43.22 „Wenn möglich, bis Freitag.”
43.23 „Als ich die E-Mail bekam, war ich überrascht.”
43.24 „Immer wenn wir uns treffen, gibt es viel zu besprechen.”
43.25 „Wann war das letzte Mal, dass wir alle zusammen waren?”
43.26 „Das war, als wir das Projekt abschlossen.”
43.27 „Wenn Sie Fragen haben, melden Sie sich bitte.”
43.28 „Seit wann läuft das neue System?”
43.29 „Seit Montag, als die Techniker fertig waren.”
43.30 „Wenn wir uns nächste Woche sehen, bringe ich die Unterlagen mit.”
Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
This business dialogue demonstrates all three temporal markers in professional context. Note the formal “Sie” throughout. “Wenn” appears both as conditional (”if”) and temporal (”when”) marker. “Als” references specific past meetings and events. “Wann” forms questions about scheduling. The combination “seit wann” (since when) queries duration. Subordinate clauses consistently show verb-final position, while main clauses after temporal clauses show verb-subject inversion.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The distinction between “wann” and “wenn” relies on vowel quality: -
“wann” has clear [a] sound -
“wenn” has short [ɛ] sound
Common spelling confusion: -
“wenn” (when/if) vs. “wen” (whom) - single ‘n’ changes meaning -
“als” (when/as/than) - context determines meaning -
“wann” never appears in the middle of subordinate clauses
Compound temporal expressions: -
“seitdem” (since then) - alternative to “seit” -
“sobald” (as soon as) - immediate temporal connection -
“nachdem” (after) - sequential timing
Note capitalization: temporal conjunctions are not capitalized unless starting a sentence, but “Sie” (formal you) always is.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
The Latinum Institute has been creating online language learning materials since 2006. This German course uses the proven construed reading method, presenting texts with detailed interlinear glosses to build comprehension naturally. Our approach emphasizes immediate engagement with authentic language while providing comprehensive grammatical support.
For testimonials and reviews: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/latinum.org.uk
Each lesson builds vocabulary systematically while introducing essential grammar patterns through meaningful context rather than isolated rules.
✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾ ✾ ❦ ✾ ❦ ✾
---