German · A2 · Family moment
Small Steps with Support in German
Use simple German wenn sentences to offer your child support in everyday school life. These sentences connect a possible situation with a reassuring response.
What you'll learn
- Use wenn to mean “if” in everyday situations.
- Put the conjugated verb at the end of a wenn clause.
- Start the main clause with its conjugated verb when the wenn clause comes first.
- Use können to offer simple choices.
German phrases for small steps with support
Wenn deine Schultasche schwer ist, trage ich sie.
If your school bag is heavy, I carry it.
Ist ends the wenn clause. Trage starts the main clause. Sie refers to the feminine noun Schultasche.
Wenn du Hilfe brauchst, machen wir die Hausaufgaben zusammen.
If you need help, we do the homework together.
Brauchst goes at the end of the wenn clause. In the main clause, machen comes before wir.
Wenn ein Wort schwierig ist, lesen wir es langsam.
If a word is difficult, we read it slowly.
Es refers to the neuter noun Wort. Langsam means “slowly.”
Wenn du nach der Schule Hunger hast, kannst du einen Apfel haben.
If you are hungry after school, you can have an apple.
German uses Hunger haben for “to be hungry.” With kannst, the infinitive haben goes at the end of the main clause.
Wenn dein Freund zu Besuch kommt, kannst du im Garten spielen.
If your friend comes over, you can play in the garden.
Zu Besuch kommen means “to come over for a visit.” For a female friend, use deine Freundin.
Wenn es regnet, gehen wir mit einem Regenschirm zur Schule.
If it rains, we walk to school with an umbrella.
Es regnet means “it rains.” Mit takes the dative: mit einem Regenschirm.
Wenn du beim Fußball nervös bist, bleibe ich in der Nähe.
If you feel nervous at football, I stay nearby.
Nervös sein is a natural way to express feeling nervous. In der Nähe means “nearby.”
Wenn dein Zahn wehtut, kannst du es mir sagen.
If your tooth hurts, you can tell me.
Wehtun means “to hurt.” It stays together at the end of the wenn clause: wehtut. Mir means “to me.”
Hear these phrases and practise them
Tildi plays every phrase out loud, tests you in five-minute lessons and builds them into bedtime stories from your own picture books.
Try it free for 7 daysKey words
die Schultasche
school bag
A feminine noun: deine Schultasche means “your school bag.”
die Hilfe
help
Use Hilfe brauchen for “to need help,” without an article.
die Hausaufgaben
homework
German normally uses the plural for homework: Hausaufgaben machen.
zusammen
together
Useful for reassuring your child that they will not do something alone.
nach der Schule
after school
Nach takes the dative, so die Schule becomes der Schule.
zu Besuch kommen
to come over; to visit
Use this for someone coming to spend time with you.
in der Nähe
nearby
Bleiben means “to stay”: Ich bleibe in der Nähe.
wehtun
to hurt
A separable verb: Dein Zahn tut weh. In a wenn clause: wenn dein Zahn wehtut.
Wenn introduces a condition
Wenn means “if” in these sentences. Use the present tense to describe an everyday situation and the support or choice that follows. Separate the two clauses with a comma.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Condition and response | Wenn + condition, main clause. | Wenn ein Wort schwierig ist, lesen wir es langsam. |
Put the verb last in the wenn clause
The conjugated verb—the form that matches the subject—goes at the end of the wenn clause. Separable verbs stay joined in this position.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| With sein | wenn + subject + description + conjugated verb | wenn deine Schultasche schwer ist |
| With brauchen | wenn + subject + object + conjugated verb | wenn du Hilfe brauchst |
| With a separable verb | wenn + subject + joined verb | wenn dein Zahn wehtut |
Start the following main clause with the verb
When the wenn clause comes first, put the main clause's conjugated verb immediately after the comma, before its subject. The whole wenn clause counts as the first position, so German still follows its usual verb-second pattern.
| Use | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb before subject | Wenn …, conjugated verb + subject + rest. | Wenn es regnet, gehen wir mit einem Regenschirm zur Schule. |
| With können | Wenn …, kannst + du + rest + infinitive. | Wenn dein Freund zu Besuch kommt, kannst du im Garten spielen. |
More examples
Wenn du Hilfe brauchst, machen wir die Hausaufgaben zusammen.
If you need help, we do the homework together.
Notice the two verb positions: brauchst at the end of the condition, then machen immediately after the comma.
Wenn dein Zahn wehtut, kannst du es mir sagen.
If your tooth hurts, you can tell me.
Kannst comes before du, and the infinitive sagen goes at the end.