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If he had known, he would have done it in German 🇩🇪


in English in German S
If he had known, he would have done it Wenn er es gewusst hätte, hätte er es getan
How to say “If he had known, he would have done it” in German? “Wenn er es gewusst hätte, hätte er es getan”. Here you will learn how to pronounce “Wenn er es gewusst hätte, hätte er es getan” correctly and in the comments below you will be able to get all sorts of advice on If he had known, he would have done it in German like tips & tricks to remember it, questions, explanations and more.

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Sentence info.

The sentence is a Type‐III (unreal past) conditional sentence that uses the subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) with a perfect infinitive construction. In the subordinate clause starting with "Wenn" ("if"), the word order places the finite auxiliary verb at the end, resulting in "gewusst hätte". The main clause then mirrors this construction with its own auxiliary "hätte" preceding the subject.

Key points:
• In the subordinate clause "Wenn er es gewusst hätte": "gewusst" is the past participle of "wissen" and "hätte" is the auxiliary in Konjunktiv II; the subject ("er") and the object ("es") precede the participle and auxiliary.
• In the main clause "hätte er es getan": the auxiliary "hätte" comes first (a common word order in main clauses when the subordinate clause leads), followed by the subject ("er"), then the object ("es") and finally the past participle "getan" of "tun".
• The two clauses work together to express a condition contrary to fact in the past.

Tips to remember:
• In German subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions like "wenn", always send the conjugated verb to the end.
• For unreal conditionals in the past, use the auxiliary "hätte" or "wäre" (depending on the verb) with the past participle.
• Remember the inversion in the main clause when it follows the subordinate clause: the conjugated verb comes first.

Alternate ways to express the idea:
• "Hätte er es gewusst, so hätte er es getan." (Inversion of the clauses with "so" to emphasize the consequence.)
• "Wenn er nur Bescheid gewusst hätte, hätte er es auch gemacht." (Adding "nur" and "auch" for nuance.)
• "Wäre er informiert gewesen, hätte er es getan." (Uses a slightly different verb phrase to express "knowing".)

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