{"id":359,"date":"2026-10-08T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/?p=359"},"modified":"2026-10-31T09:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:10:14","slug":"wenn-vs-als-wann","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wenn-vs-als-wann\/","title":{"rendered":"Wenn vs Als vs Wann (and Ob): Which &#8220;When&#8221; Do You Need?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wenn vs als comes down to time and frequency: use <em>als<\/em> for one single event or one period in the past (<em>Als ich ankam, &#8230;<\/em>), and <em>wenn<\/em> for repeated past events, the present, the future and for &#8220;if&#8221;. <em>Wann<\/em> is only the question word &#8220;when?&#8221;, and <em>ob<\/em> means &#8220;whether&#8221;. After all four, the verb goes to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">English has one word, &#8220;when&#8221;, where German has three, and &#8220;if&#8221; splits into <em>wenn<\/em> and <em>ob<\/em>. The choice follows a fixed decision path, shown in a table below.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Als, wenn, wann, ob: the overview<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Word<\/th><th>Meaning<\/th><th>Used for<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>als<\/strong><\/td><td>when<\/td><td>one event or one period in the past<\/td><td><em>Als ich 18 war, zog ich nach Madrid.<\/em> (When I was 18, I moved to Madrid.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>wenn<\/strong><\/td><td>when \/ whenever<\/td><td>repeated events in the past<\/td><td><em>Wenn es regnete, blieben wir zu Hause.<\/em> (Whenever it rained, we stayed at home.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>wenn<\/strong><\/td><td>when<\/td><td>present and future<\/td><td><em>Wenn ich nach Hause komme, koche ich.<\/em> (When I get home, I cook.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>wenn<\/strong><\/td><td>if<\/td><td>conditions<\/td><td><em>Wenn du Hilfe brauchst, ruf mich an.<\/em> (If you need help, call me.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>wann<\/strong><\/td><td>when?<\/td><td>direct and indirect questions about time<\/td><td><em>Ich wei\u00df nicht, wann der Kurs beginnt.<\/em> (I don&#8217;t know when the course starts.)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>ob<\/strong><\/td><td>whether \/ if<\/td><td>indirect yes\/no questions<\/td><td><em>Ich wei\u00df nicht, ob er kommt.<\/em> (I don&#8217;t know whether he is coming.)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Als: one event or one period in the past<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use <em>als<\/em> for something that happened once in the past. A longer period also counts if it happened only once in your life: childhood, your first year in Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Als ich nach Deutschland kam, sprach ich kein Wort Deutsch.<\/em> (When I came to Germany, I didn&#8217;t speak a word of German.)<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Als ich ein Kind war, wohnten wir in Porto.<\/em> (When I was a child, we lived in Porto.)<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Als die Patientin aufwachte, rief ich die \u00c4rztin.<\/em> (When the patient woke up, I called the doctor.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In writing, the <em>als<\/em> clause is usually in the Pr\u00e4teritum. In everyday speech you will also hear the Perfekt: <em>Als ich angekommen bin, habe ich sofort eine Wohnung gesucht.<\/em> Both are fine; see <a href=\"\/blog\/praeteritum-vs-perfekt\/\">Pr\u00e4teritum vs Perfekt<\/a> for when each tense sounds natural.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wenn: repeated past, present and future<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Wenn<\/em> covers everything <em>als<\/em> does not. In the past, it means &#8220;whenever, every time&#8221;, and German often makes this explicit with <em>immer wenn<\/em> or <em>jedes Mal, wenn<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Jedes Mal, wenn ich meine Oma besuchte, backte sie Kuchen.<\/em> (Every time I visited my grandma, she baked a cake.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the present and future, <em>wenn<\/em> is used even for a single event. <em>Als<\/em> is never used for the future:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Wenn ich in Wien ankomme, schreibe ich dir.<\/em> (When I arrive in Vienna, I&#8217;ll text you.)<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Wenn die Schicht vorbei ist, gehe ich nach Hause.<\/em> (When the shift is over, I go home.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is wenn &#8220;if&#8221; or &#8220;when&#8221;?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both. <em>Wenn du Zeit hast, komm vorbei<\/em> can mean &#8220;when you have time&#8221; or &#8220;if you have time&#8221;; usually the difference does not matter.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to make &#8220;if, in case&#8221; unmistakable, use <em>falls<\/em>: <em>Falls der Zug Versp\u00e4tung hat, schreibe ich dir.<\/em> (In case the train is late, I&#8217;ll text you.) For unreal conditions, <em>wenn<\/em> combines with Konjunktiv II: <em>Wenn ich mehr Zeit h\u00e4tte, w\u00fcrde ich jeden Tag sprechen.<\/em> (If I had more time, I would speak every day.) The forms are explained in <a href=\"\/blog\/konjunktiv-ii-polite-requests\/\">Konjunktiv II for polite requests<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wann: only when you ask about time<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Wann<\/em> is a question word. Use it in direct questions and in indirect questions, that is, a question inside a longer sentence:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Wann beginnt der Kurs?<\/em> (When does the course start?)<\/li>\n\n<li><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie mir sagen, wann der n\u00e4chste Zug f\u00e4hrt?<\/em> (Can you tell me when the next train leaves?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Test: if &#8220;when&#8221; can be replaced by &#8220;at what time&#8221;, you need <em>wann<\/em>. <em>Wann ich Zeit habe, rufe ich dich an<\/em> is wrong because nobody is asking. More question words in <a href=\"\/blog\/german-question-words-w-fragen\/\">German question words (W-Fragen)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ob: &#8220;whether&#8221;, not &#8220;if&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">English &#8220;if&#8221; does two jobs: conditions (&#8220;If it rains, &#8230;&#8221;) and indirect yes\/no questions (&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if he&#8217;s coming&#8221;). German uses <em>wenn<\/em> for the first and <em>ob<\/em> for the second.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Der Arzt fragt, ob ich Allergien habe.<\/em> (The doctor asks whether I have any allergies.)<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Sag mir Bescheid, wenn du ankommst.<\/em> (Let me know when you arrive.) versus <em>Sag mir, ob du kommst.<\/em> (Tell me whether you&#8217;re coming.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Test: if &#8220;if&#8221; can be replaced by &#8220;whether&#8221;, use <em>ob<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Word order: the verb goes to the end<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Als, wenn<\/em> and <em>ob<\/em> are subordinating conjunctions, and <em>wann<\/em> works the same way in an indirect question: the conjugated verb goes to the end of the clause. If the clause comes first, the main verb follows right after the comma: verb, comma, verb.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Structure<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Main clause first<\/td><td>Ich rufe dich an, <strong>wenn<\/strong> ich zu Hause <strong>bin<\/strong>.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Subordinate clause first<\/td><td><strong>Wenn<\/strong> ich zu Hause <strong>bin<\/strong>, <strong>rufe<\/strong> ich dich an.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Separable verb<\/td><td>Als der Zug <strong>ankam<\/strong>, &#8230; (the prefix joins the verb)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Perfekt<\/td><td>Als ich in Berlin angekommen <strong>bin<\/strong>, &#8230;<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Indirect question<\/td><td>Wei\u00dft du, wann sie Geburtstag <strong>hat<\/strong>?<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is the same rule as after <em>weil<\/em> (compare <a href=\"\/blog\/weil-denn-da-german\/\">weil, denn and da<\/a>); the full system is in <a href=\"\/blog\/german-word-order-rules\/\">German word order rules<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Decision table: which word do I need?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Go through the questions in this order and stop at the first &#8220;yes&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Step<\/th><th>Ask yourself<\/th><th>If yes, use<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1<\/td><td>Am I asking, or reporting a question, about the time?<\/td><td><strong>wann<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td>Am I reporting a yes\/no question (&#8220;whether&#8221;)?<\/td><td><strong>ob<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td>Is it a condition (&#8220;if&#8221;, &#8220;in case&#8221;)?<\/td><td><strong>wenn<\/strong> (or <em>falls<\/em>)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td><td>Is it the past, and did it happen once (one event or one period)?<\/td><td><strong>als<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td><td>Is it the past and repeated, or the present, or the future?<\/td><td><strong>wenn<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Als ob: &#8220;as if&#8221;<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Als ob<\/em> is a different structure: it means &#8220;as if&#8221; and usually takes Konjunktiv II: <em>Er tut so, als ob er nichts geh\u00f6rt h\u00e4tte.<\/em> (He acts as if he hadn&#8217;t heard anything.) It belongs to comparisons, so it is covered in <a href=\"\/blog\/als-vs-wie-german\/\">als vs wie<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"siplingo-store-badges\" style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;align-items:center;gap:12px;margin:24px 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/app\/id6783970183\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/app_store.png\" alt=\"Download SipLingo on the App Store\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=ch.zgdevelopment.siplingo&amp;referrer=utm_source%3Dblog%26utm_medium%3Dpost%26utm_campaign%3Dwenn-vs-als-wann%26utm_content%3Dbadge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/play_store.png\" alt=\"Get SipLingo on Google Play\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">25 examples with translation<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>#<\/th><th>German<\/th><th>English<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1<\/td><td><em>Als ich 2019 nach Z\u00fcrich zog, kannte ich niemanden.<\/em><\/td><td>When I moved to Zurich in 2019, I didn&#8217;t know anyone.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2<\/td><td><em>Als das Telefon klingelte, stand ich unter der Dusche.<\/em><\/td><td>When the phone rang, I was in the shower.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>3<\/td><td><em>Als wir jung waren, hatten wir wenig Geld.<\/em><\/td><td>When we were young, we had little money.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>4<\/td><td><em>Ich war sehr nerv\u00f6s, als ich die m\u00fcndliche Pr\u00fcfung hatte.<\/em><\/td><td>I was very nervous when I had the oral exam.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>5<\/td><td><em>Als der Notarzt kam, war der Patient wieder wach.<\/em><\/td><td>When the emergency doctor arrived, the patient was awake again.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>6<\/td><td><em>Zu der Zeit, als ich in Lyon studierte, lernte ich Deutsch.<\/em><\/td><td>At the time when I was studying in Lyon, I learned German.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>7<\/td><td><em>Immer wenn ich krank war, kochte meine Mutter Suppe.<\/em><\/td><td>Whenever I was ill, my mother made soup.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>8<\/td><td><em>Wenn wir im Sommer nach Italien fuhren, nahmen wir den Zug.<\/em><\/td><td>Whenever we went to Italy in summer, we took the train.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>9<\/td><td><em>Wenn ich m\u00fcde bin, trinke ich einen Kaffee.<\/em><\/td><td>When I&#8217;m tired, I have a coffee.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>10<\/td><td><em>Wenn der Wecker klingelt, stehe ich sofort auf.<\/em><\/td><td>When the alarm goes off, I get up straight away.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>11<\/td><td><em>Ich melde mich, wenn ich mehr wei\u00df.<\/em><\/td><td>I&#8217;ll get in touch when I know more.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>12<\/td><td><em>Wenn du fertig bist, k\u00f6nnen wir gehen.<\/em><\/td><td>When you&#8217;re ready, we can go.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>13<\/td><td><em>Wenn es morgen regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause.<\/em><\/td><td>If it rains tomorrow, we&#8217;ll stay at home.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>14<\/td><td><em>Wenn Sie Fragen haben, rufen Sie mich bitte an.<\/em><\/td><td>If you have any questions, please call me.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>15<\/td><td><em>Wenn ich die Pr\u00fcfung bestehe, feiern wir.<\/em><\/td><td>If I pass the exam, we&#8217;ll celebrate.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>16<\/td><td><em>Wenn ich du w\u00e4re, w\u00fcrde ich das Angebot annehmen.<\/em><\/td><td>If I were you, I would accept the offer.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>17<\/td><td><em>Wann hast du morgen Zeit?<\/em><\/td><td>When do you have time tomorrow?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>18<\/td><td><em>Wann ist der Termin beim Hausarzt?<\/em><\/td><td>When is the appointment with the GP?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>19<\/td><td><em>Ich wei\u00df nicht, wann meine Schicht morgen anf\u00e4ngt.<\/em><\/td><td>I don&#8217;t know when my shift starts tomorrow.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>20<\/td><td><em>Wei\u00dft du, wann die Apotheke schlie\u00dft?<\/em><\/td><td>Do you know when the pharmacy closes?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>21<\/td><td><em>Seit wann lernen Sie Deutsch?<\/em><\/td><td>How long have you been learning German?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>22<\/td><td><em>Ich wei\u00df nicht, ob ich morgen kommen kann.<\/em><\/td><td>I don&#8217;t know whether I can come tomorrow.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>23<\/td><td><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie mir sagen, ob der Zug p\u00fcnktlich ist?<\/em><\/td><td>Can you tell me whether the train is on time?<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>24<\/td><td><em>Die Pflegerin fragt, ob der Patient Schmerzen hat.<\/em><\/td><td>The nurse asks whether the patient is in pain.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>25<\/td><td><em>Er tut so, als ob er mich nicht kennen w\u00fcrde.<\/em><\/td><td>He acts as if he didn&#8217;t know me.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Wrong<\/th><th>Right<\/th><th>Why<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><em>Wenn ich gestern nach Hause kam, &#8230;<\/em><\/td><td><em>Als ich gestern nach Hause kam, &#8230;<\/em><\/td><td>one event in the past<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Als ich n\u00e4chste Woche in Berlin bin, &#8230;<\/em><\/td><td><em>Wenn ich n\u00e4chste Woche in Berlin bin, &#8230;<\/em><\/td><td>future: always <em>wenn<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Wann ich Zeit habe, komme ich.<\/em><\/td><td><em>Wenn ich Zeit habe, komme ich.<\/em><\/td><td>no question, so no <em>wann<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Ich wei\u00df nicht, wenn er kommt.<\/em><\/td><td><em>Ich wei\u00df nicht, ob er kommt.<\/em> \/ <em>&#8230;, wann er kommt.<\/em><\/td><td>&#8220;whether&#8221; = <em>ob<\/em>; &#8220;at what time&#8221; = <em>wann<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Als ich war ein Kind, &#8230;<\/em><\/td><td><em>Als ich ein Kind war, &#8230;<\/em><\/td><td>verb at the end<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Wenn ich Zeit habe, ich rufe dich an.<\/em><\/td><td><em>Wenn ich Zeit habe, rufe ich dich an.<\/em><\/td><td>verb, comma, verb<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first mistake survives longest in speech, because there is no time to run the decision table. In SipLingo you tell an AI partner about your first day at work or your move to a new country, and if you say <em>Wenn ich nach Deutschland kam<\/em>, you get the corrected sentence and a short explanation in your own language. <a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=wenn-vs-als-wann&amp;utm_content=inline\">Practise past stories out loud<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exercise: als, wenn, wann or ob?<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fill in the gap. In item 10, correct the word order.<\/p>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>___ ich gestern im Supermarkt war, habe ich meine Lehrerin getroffen.<\/li>\n\n<li>___ ich Zeit habe, lese ich deutsche Nachrichten.<\/li>\n\n<li>___ beginnt deine Schicht morgen?<\/li>\n\n<li>Ich wei\u00df nicht, ___ ich die Pr\u00fcfung bestanden habe.<\/li>\n\n<li>___ wir Kinder waren, spielten wir oft im Park.<\/li>\n\n<li>___ es morgen schneit, fahre ich nicht mit dem Auto.<\/li>\n\n<li>Kannst du mir sagen, ___ der n\u00e4chste Bus f\u00e4hrt? \u2013 Um 8:15 Uhr.<\/li>\n\n<li>Jedes Mal, ___ ich meine Gro\u00dfeltern besuchte, gab es Kuchen.<\/li>\n\n<li>Der Arzt fragt, ___ ich Medikamente nehme.<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Als ich in Wien ankam, ich hatte keine Wohnung.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Answers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Als (one event in the past)<\/li>\n\n<li>Wenn (repeated, present)<\/li>\n\n<li>Wann (direct question)<\/li>\n\n<li>ob (whether)<\/li>\n\n<li>Als (one period in the past)<\/li>\n\n<li>Wenn (condition)<\/li>\n\n<li>wann (question about time; the answer is a time)<\/li>\n\n<li>wenn (repeated in the past)<\/li>\n\n<li>ob (yes\/no question reported)<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Als ich in Wien ankam, hatte ich keine Wohnung.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rules checked in October 2026 against the Duden dictionary entries for <em>als<\/em> and <em>wenn<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Official sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the official details and the latest updates, see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.duden.de\/sprachwissen\/fuer-lernende\/wortarten-konjunktionen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Duden: Duden for learners: conjunctions<\/a> \u2013 Coordinating vs subordinating conjunctions (aber, denn, weil, obwohl)<\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/grammis.ids-mannheim.de\/konnektoren\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IDS Mannheim (grammis): grammis: dictionary of German connectors<\/a> \u2013 Syntax and meaning of connectors like weil, aber, obwohl, damit<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Should I use wenn or als in German (Wenn oder als)?<\/strong><br\/>\nUse <em>als<\/em> for one event or one period in the past. Use <em>wenn<\/em> for repeated past events, for anything in the present or future, and for conditions (&#8220;if&#8221;).<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When to use wann vs wenn?<\/strong><br\/><em>Wann<\/em> asks about time, directly (<em>Wann kommst du?<\/em>) or indirectly (<em>Ich wei\u00df nicht, wann er kommt<\/em>). <em>Wenn<\/em> never asks; it connects two events or introduces a condition.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is the difference between ob and wenn in German?<\/strong><br\/><em>Ob<\/em> means &#8220;whether&#8221; and reports a yes\/no question: <em>Ich wei\u00df nicht, ob er kommt.<\/em> <em>Wenn<\/em> means &#8220;if&#8221; in conditions or &#8220;when&#8221;: <em>Wenn er kommt, essen wir.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is wenn &#8220;if&#8221; or &#8220;when&#8221;?<\/strong><br\/>\nBoth: <em>wenn<\/em> means &#8220;when\/whenever&#8221; in time clauses and &#8220;if&#8221; in conditions. Use <em>falls<\/em> if you want to say clearly &#8220;if, in case&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do you use als in German?<\/strong><br\/>\nFor one event or period in the past, verb at the end: <em>Als ich ankam, regnete es.<\/em> It also appears in comparisons (<em>gr\u00f6\u00dfer als<\/em>) and roles (<em>als Pflegerin<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Get wenn vs als right when you speak, not only on paper.<\/strong> Tell your own stories in German and get every mistake corrected on the spot.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=wenn-vs-als-wann&amp;utm_content=footer\">Start free \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Als = one event in the past. Wenn = repeated past, present, future and &#8220;if&#8221;. Wann = &#8220;when?&#8221; in questions. Ob = &#8220;whether&#8221;. Table, 25 examples, exercise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-german-grammar"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wenn vs Als vs Wann (and Ob): When to Use Each in German<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Als = one event in the past. Wenn = repeated past, present, future and &quot;if&quot;. 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