ABSTRACT
The subjunctive II is used for dreams, wishes and hypothetical statements and, in the past tense, when talking about options in the past that are no longer valid. All of these statements have one thing in common: they are not factually true. For this reason, the subjunctive II forms are referred to as non-factual verb forms. Indicative Subjunctive II
Ich habe viel Geld.
I have a lot of money.
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→ Fact: I have a lot of money!
Ich hätte gerne viel Geld.
I would like to have a lot of money.
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→ Wish/dream: I do not have a lot of money.
Du rennst, weil die Polizei hinter dir her ist.
You’re running, because the police are after you.
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→ Fact: The police are hard on your heels!
Du rennst, als ob die Polizei hinter dir her wäre.
You’re running as if the police were after you/in pursuit of you.
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→ Irrealer Vergleich (unreal comparison): You’re (only) running very fast.
