Editing Subjunctive mood (section)

====={{lang|de|Konjunktiv II}}=====
The ''KII'',  or past subjunctive, is used to form the conditional and, on occasion, as a replacement for the present subjunctive when both indicative and subjunctive moods of a particular verb are indistinguishable.

Every German verb has a past subjunctive conjugation, but in spoken German, the conditional is most commonly formed using {{lang|de|würde}} (Konjunktiv II form of {{lang|de|werden}} which in here is related to the English {{lang|de|will}} or {{lang|de|would}} rather than the literal {{lang|de|to become}}; dialect: {{lang|de|täte}}, KII of {{lang|de|tun}} 'to do') with an infinitive. For example: {{lang|de|An deiner Stelle würde ich ihm nicht helfen}} 'I would not help him if I were you'. In the example, the Konjunktiv II form of {{lang|de|helfen}} (hülfe) is very unusual. However, using 'würde' instead of {{lang|de|hätte}} (past subjunctive declension of {{lang|de|haben}} 'to have') and {{lang|de|wäre}} (past subjunctive declension of {{lang|de|sein}} 'to be') can be perceived anywhere from awkward (in-the-present use of the past subjunctive) to incorrect (in the past subjunctive). There is a tendency to use the forms in {{lang|de|würde}} rather in main clauses as in English; in subclauses even regular forms (which sound like the indicative of the preterite and are, thus, obsolete in any other circumstances) can still be heard.

Some verbs exist for which either construction can be used, such as with {{lang|de|finden}} ({{lang|de|fände}}) and {{lang|de|tun}} ({{lang|de|täte}}). Many dictionaries consider the past subjunctive declension of such verbs the only proper expression in formal written German.

The past subjunctive is declined from the stem of the [[preterite]] (imperfect) declension of the verb with the appropriate present subjunctive declension ending as appropriate. In most cases, an {{lang|de|[[Germanic umlaut|umlaut]]}} is appended to the stem vowel if possible (i.e. if it is {{lang|de|a}}, {{lang|de|o}}, {{lang|de|u}} or {{lang|de|au}}), for example: {{lang|de|ich war → ich wäre, ich brachte → ich brächte}}.

{{See also| German grammar}}