what is it?
German has two subordinating conjunctions that both translate as "when" in English: als and wenn. They are not interchangeable. Als refers to a single, completed event or period in the past. Wenn covers everything else: repeated events (past or present), present-tense situations, future events, and conditions. Both conjunctions send the conjugated verb to the end of their clause.
when to use it
als — single past event or period. Use als when you refer to one specific moment or stretch of time in the past that happened once and is now over. Example trigger: a childhood memory, a specific day, a finished phase of life.
wenn — repeated past events. Use wenn when something happened repeatedly or habitually in the past. It often appears with immer (always) or oft (often) to make the repetition explicit.
wenn — present and future. Use wenn for any present-tense or future situation, including general truths and conditions ("if/when").
A quick test: if you can replace "when" with "whenever" or "if" in English, use wenn. If you can only say "at the time when (once)als.
formation
Both als and wenn are subordinating conjunctions. They introduce a subordinate clause in which the conjugated verb moves to the final position. The subordinate clause is separated from the main clause by a comma.
| clause type | word order pattern | example |
|---|---|---|
| main clause | subject → verb → … | Wir wohnten auf dem Land. |
| als / wenn clause (subordinate) | als/wenn → subject → … → verb (final) | Als ich ein Kind war, … |
| subordinate clause first | subordinate clause + comma → main verb second | Als ich ein Kind war, wohnten wir auf dem Land. |
When the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause begins directly with its verb — not with the subject. This is called verb-second (V2) inversion: Als ich ein Kind war, wohnten wir … — not … wir wohnten ….
examples in context
common pitfalls
Using wenn for a one-off past event.
Incorrect: «Wenn ich ein Kind war, wohnten wir auf dem Land.»
Correct: «Als ich ein Kind war, wohnten wir auf dem Land.»
Childhood is a single, finished period. It happened once. Use als.
Using als for repeated past events.
Incorrect: «Immer als es regnete, blieben wir zu Hause.»
Correct: «Immer wenn es regnete, blieben wir zu Hause.»
The adverb immer signals repetition. Repetition always requires wenn, even in the past.
Keeping verb-second order inside the wenn/als clause.
Incorrect: «Als ich war ein Kind, …»
Correct: «Als ich ein Kind war, …»
Als and wenn are subordinating conjunctions. The conjugated verb must go to the very end of the clause — not stay in second position.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
___ du Hunger hast, mache ich schnell eine Suppe.
Fill in the blank with either "wenn" or "als".