What is the difference between 'wann', 'wenn' and 'als', don't they all mean 'when'?

'wann' is only used as a question word. e.g. 'wann spielst du Fußball?' = 'when do you play football?''wenn' is used like 'if' and 'whenever' in English. This is the most common usage of the word and is used in the present and conditional. e.g. 'wenn ich in den Park gehe, spiele ich Fußball' = 'whenever i go to the park, i play football'or 'wenn ich reich sein würde, würde ich ein cooles Auto kaufen' = 'if I was rich, i would buy a cool car' 'als' replaces 'wenn' if you are speaking in the past tense; e.g. 'als ich Fußball im Park gespielt habe...' = 'when i played football in the park'

DS
Answered by Daniel S. German tutor

2966 Views

See similar German GCSE tutors

Related German GCSE answers

All answers ▸

When do I use "sein" in the perfect tense?


How do you know which case to use after German prepositions?


When are modal verbs used? Name all modal verbs and use one of them in a sentence.


How do you use the perfect tense?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning