wenn
German
Etymology
Like wann, from Proto-Germanic *hwannē (“at what time, when”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷo-, *kʷi- (“interrogative base”).
Pronunciation
Conjunction
wenn (subordinating)
- when
- Sag bitte Bescheid, wenn du fertig bist!
- Tell me when you're done!
- if (on the condition that)
- Was tun, wenn ich nicht weiß, ob sie mich liebt?
- What (to do) if I don't know if she loves me?
Usage notes
Instead of using wenn to introduce a conditional clause, verb-initial (V1) word order can also be used:
- Wird das nicht gemacht, müsste die Nutzung beschränkt werden.
- (If) that is not done, then the uses must be limited.
In any case, the main clause can, but need not be, introduced by dann or so:
- Bedenkt man, dass Gold recht schwer zu finden ist, so/dann ist es kein Wunder, dass es so wertvoll ist.
- If we consider that gold is rather difficult to come by, it is no wonder that it is so precious.
See also
Further reading
- “wenn” in Duden online
Low German
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *hwannē (“at what time, when”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷo-, *kʷi- (“interrogative base”).
Pronunciation
Conjunction
wenn (subordinating)
See also
Old English
Alternative forms
- wænn
- ƿenn — wynn spelling
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *wanjaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *wan- (“swelling, growth, lump, tumor”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Middle Low German wene (“wen”), Middle Dutch wanne, wan (“goiter”).
Pronunciation
Noun
wenn m (nominative plural wennas)
- wen (cyst on the skin)
Declension
Declension of wenn (strong a-stem)
Descendants
Categories:
- German terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- German terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- German terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- German 1-syllable words
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- German lemmas
- German conjunctions
- German subordinating conjunctions
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- Low German terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Low German terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Low German terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Low German terms with IPA pronunciation
- Low German lemmas
- Low German conjunctions
- Low German subordinating conjunctions
- Old English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old English terms with unknown etymologies
- Old English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Old English lemmas
- Old English nouns
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- Old English masculine a-stem nouns