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wenn in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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German
Etymology
Like wann, from Proto-Germanic *hwannē (“at what time, when”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷo-, *kʷi- (“interrogative base”).
Pronunciation
Conjunction
wenn (subordinating)
- when
Sag bitte Bescheid, wenn du fertig bist!- Tell me when you're done!
- if (on the condition that)
Was tun, wenn ich nicht weiß, ob sie mich liebt?- What (to do) if I don't know if she loves me?
Usage notes
Instead of using wenn to introduce a conditional clause, verb-initial (V1) word order can also be used:
Wird das nicht gemacht, müsste die Nutzung beschränkt werden.- (If) that is not done, then the uses will have to be limited.
In any case, the main clause can, but need not be, introduced by dann or so:
Bedenkt man, dass Gold recht schwer zu finden ist, so/dann ist es kein Wunder, dass es so wertvoll ist.- If we consider that gold is rather difficult to come by, it is no wonder that it is so valuable.
Derived terms
See also
Further reading
- “wenn” in Duden online
- “wenn” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Low German
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *hwannē (“at what time, when”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷo-, *kʷi- (“interrogative base”).
Pronunciation
Conjunction
wenn (subordinating)
- when
- if (on the condition that)
See also
Old English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *wanjaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *wan- (“swelling, growth, lump, tumor”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Middle Low German wene (“wen”), Middle Dutch wanne, wan (“goiter”).
Pronunciation
Noun
wenn m (nominative plural wennas)
- wen (cyst on the skin)
Declension
Declension of wenn (strong a-stem)
Descendants