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Topic test · B2

Conditionals without wenn test

10questions
8minutes
60%pass mark
Start the test Read the topic first

One question at a time, the clock runs. Answers stay closed like a real exam: you see every correct answer with its explanation at the end. Score 60% to finish the topic.

Topic test

10 questions, easy to hard

Pick an option and press «Next». You can go back and change it. Anything left blank counts as wrong.

ich mehr Geld, würde ich ein Auto kaufen.

If I had more money, I would buy a car.

When there is no wenn, the Konjunktiv II verb (Hätte) goes to the very front.

Sollten Sie Fragen haben, Sie uns gerne kontaktieren.

Should you have any questions, you are welcome to contact us.

The main clause after the comma has to start directly with the verb (können).

er nicht so spät gekommen, hätten wir den Zug erreicht.

If he hadn’t come so late, we would have caught the train.

Kommen is a verb of motion, so in the Perfekt and in Konjunktiv II it takes sein (wäre). With no wenn, the verb moves to the front.

Which one is correct?

After the comma a verb has to come (würde). Since there is no “wenn” in the first clause, the verb has moved to the front.

ich das gewusst, hätte ich es dir gesagt.

If I had known that, I would have told you.

Regret about the past: Wissen (gewusst) takes haben (hätte) as its auxiliary. With no wenn, Hätte moves to the front.

es regnen, bleiben wir zu Hause.

Should it rain, we’ll stay home.

When talking about the possibility of an event (“in case ...”), sollte (the Konjunktiv II form of sollen) moves to the front.

Build the sentence: Had I studied more, I would have passed the exam.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

With no wenn, the verb comes first (Hätte ich...). The second clause starts with a verb too (...hätte ich...).

Hätte er auf mich gehört, dieses Problem nicht passiert.

Had he listened to me, this problem wouldn’t have happened.

wäre — once wenn is dropped, the main clause starts directly with the verb. Because passieren expresses a change of state, the auxiliary is sein: wäre passiert.

The sentence “Hätte ich Zeit, so ich würde dir helfen.” is correct.

Wrong. When “so” is used, the verb has to follow straight after it: “... so würde ich dir helfen.”

Should the customer call, let me know.

For possibility, “Sollte” moves to the front. The main clause (after the comma) starts directly with the verb “sagen”.
Quick rules

The rules in three lines

The full topic lives on its own page. This is only the core you need for the test.

  1. wenn drops out, the conjugated verb moves to the front

    Conditional clauses without wenn always start with the conjugated verb.

    Wäre das Wetter schön, ...

  2. The main clause starts with a verb or with so/dann

    No subject after the comma: the verb comes directly (or so/dann + verb).

    Hätte ich Zeit, würde ich dir helfen.

  3. Sollte for possibility

    For the meaning “in case ... should happen”, the verb sollten moves to the front.

    Sollte er anrufen, sag ihm Bescheid.

Traps

Commonly mixed up

Where a direct translation breaks. The hard questions come from here.

  • Hätte ich das gewusst, ich wäre nicht gekommen.

    Hätte ich das gewusst, wäre ich nicht gekommen.

    In the main clause after the comma the verb (wäre) has to stay in second position — the whole condition counts as position 1.

  • Wenn hätte ich Zeit, würde ich kommen.

    Hätte ich Zeit, würde ich kommen.

    With wenn the verb goes last (Wenn ich Zeit hätte). Without wenn the verb goes first (Hätte ich Zeit).