Wishes with Konjunktiv II

German has several ways to express wishes, regrets, and longing using the Konjunktiv II. This lesson covers the most important wish constructions: wenn ... nur/doch, ich wünschte, and als ob.

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Construction 1: Wenn + nur / doch (If Only...)

The most common way to express a wish in German:

Wenn + subject + nur/doch + ... + Konjunktiv II verb (at end)!

The words nur (only) or doch (really/after all) add emotional intensity.

Present Wishes (I wish things were different NOW)

• Wenn ich nur mehr Zeit hätte! — If only I had more time!
• Wenn er doch hier wäre! — If only he were here!
• Wenn ich nur besser Deutsch sprechen könnte! — If only I could speak better German!
• Wenn wir doch ein größeres Haus hätten! — If only we had a bigger house!
• Wenn es nur nicht so kalt wäre! — If only it were not so cold!

Past Wishes (I wish things had been different THEN)

For wishes about the past, use hätte/wäre + past participle: