German Konjunktiv is actually french Conditionnel

[iassai]

Hello,

Did you ever think about why is the same Gramatical Mood named Konjunktiv II in German and Conditionnel in French?

I know it is a boring question, but on wiki those are two different gramatical moods, so what is the difference (not between the two moods, but between the (in my opinion) same mood in two languages)?

When I learn a language, I need everything 100 percent clear

[lushlala]

I honestly wouldn't know the answer to your question as I'm not familiar with German, a language I consider one of the hardest ever! Another thing I just wanted to mention, I don't think any question is ever boring! If you question something, and want to know the answer to it, chances are there'll be someone out there who's also thinking about the question, maybe even thinking it's a silly question too and deciding not to ask it. So it's good to have someone brave enough to ask questions, even ones they think may sound "silly".

Someone is likely to have an answer for you, and we'll all learn something new

[Gee-G]

Hello,

I'm French and I study German. Conditionnel and Kunjunktiv II are indeed equivalents: both are used to talk about a possibility/a potential thing. But since French is a Romance (or Latin) language and German is not, you cannot say they are totally equal.

Every time I use Conditionnel in French, I use Kunjuktiv II to translate it :

J'aimerais un café au lait / Ich möchte einen Milchkaffe.

But the opposite is not always true : when talking about a condition, French uses Imparfait while German uses Kunjuktiv II too. In the first part of the sentence, French uses Imparfait, and in the second part Conditionnel (somehow like in English), whereas German uses Kunjuktiv II for both. For example "If I had more time, I would learn a new language"

Si j'avais plus de temps, j'apprendrais une nouvelle langue.

Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, würde ich eine neue Sprache lernen.

So you can say that Conditionnel and Kunjuktiv II are equivalent, but always check before using it, it depends on the case ([si + Conditionnel] is a terrible mistake that some French people do, but [Wenn+Kunjuktiv II] is absolutely right).

Don't hesitate if you have any questions

[lushlala]

Wow, Gee-G; kudos to you! You seem very proficient in both German and French, I'm sure you'll go very far with both. I love French, but have always had this impression that it's a very hard language to learn. So I always take my hat off to anyone who isn't a native speaker but who ends up mastering the language!