Wenn vs als vs wann, explained
German splits English "when" three ways. Als is for one occasion or one period in the past: "Als ich ein Kind war, wohnten wir in Kiel." Wenn is for anything repeated, in any tense ("whenever"), for single events in the present or future, and for conditions ("if"): "Wenn ich ihn besuchte, kochte er" means every time I visited. Wann is the question word, in direct and indirect questions: "Wann kommst du?", "Ich weiß nicht, wann er kommt."
Updated 24 October 2026
The three words in one table
English uses "when" for a single moment in the past, for a habit, for the future and for questions. German makes you choose each time. Two questions settle almost every case: is the sentence asking for a time, and if not, did this happen once in the past?
| Situation | Word | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| One occasion in the past | als | Als ich gestern ankam, war niemand da. | When I arrived yesterday, nobody was there. |
| One period in the past | als | Als ich ein Kind war, wohnten wir in Kiel. | When I was a child, we lived in Kiel. |
| Repeated in the past (whenever) | wenn | Wenn wir Oma besuchten, gab es Kuchen. | Whenever we visited Grandma, there was cake. |
| Repeated in the present (whenever) | wenn | Wenn ich müde bin, trinke ich Kaffee. | Whenever I’m tired, I drink coffee. |
| One event in the present or future | wenn | Wenn ich in Wien bin, rufe ich dich an. | When I’m in Vienna, I’ll call you. |
| A condition (if) | wenn, falls | Wenn es morgen regnet, bleiben wir hier. | If it rains tomorrow, we’ll stay here. |
| An unreal condition | wenn | Wenn ich Zeit hätte, käme ich mit. | If I had time, I’d come along. |
| A direct question | wann | Wann beginnt der Kurs? | When does the course start? |
| An indirect question | wann | Ich weiß nicht, wann er kommt. | I don’t know when he’s coming. |
The decision runs in a fixed order. First, the question test: if you could replace "when" with "at what time", the word is wann. Second, the whenever test: if you could say "whenever" or "every time", the word is wenn. Third, the tense: if the clause is about the present or the future, or is a condition, it is wenn as well. Only what is left, a single occasion or a single period in the past, takes als.
All three share one piece of word order. Als and wenn are subordinating conjunctions, so the conjugated verb goes to the end of their clause: "als ich nach Hause kam", "wenn du Zeit hast". Wann does the same when it opens an indirect question ("…, wann der Kurs beginnt"), but not in a direct question, where it stands first and the verb comes second ("Wann beginnt der Kurs?"). When an als or wenn clause opens the sentence, it counts as the first element, so the main verb follows straight after the comma: "Als ich ankam, war er schon weg." The full rules are in the word order guide.
Als: one occasion or one period in the past
Als is a time conjunction for the past only, and only for something that happened once. That something can be a moment ("als ich ankam", when I arrived) or a stretch of time ("als ich in Hamburg wohnte", when I lived in Hamburg; "als ich ein Kind war", when I was a child). A childhood lasts years, but you only had one, so it is one period, and it takes als.
, .
When I was little, I was afraid of dogs.
Select a word to see why it is there.
AlsSubordinator“when”
- Why this word
- Subordinating conjunction of time, past only
- Als, because "when I was little" is one period of the past that happened once. The fear lasted for years, but the als clause names a single stretch of time, so it is als, not wenn. Als sends the verb of its clause, war, to the end.
- Dictionary
- als · conjunction — when (one occasion or period in the past); than; as
In this sentence
- Als · Subordinator:
- Als, because "when I was little" is one period of the past that happened once. The fear lasted for years, but the als clause names a single stretch of time, so it is als, not wenn. Als sends the verb of its clause, war, to the end.
- war · Auxiliary:
- The conjugated verb, last in the als clause, because als is a subordinating conjunction. "Als ich war klein" keeps main-clause order and is wrong. With sein, haben and the modals the simple past is the normal spoken past, so war is what a speaker says, not only what a writer writes.
Notice that the main clause describes a state that went on for years, and the als clause still takes als. This is where several popular pages go wrong: they say that als covers habits in the past. It does not. What decides between als and wenn is the time clause itself. "Als ich klein war" names one period; what you did during it can be as habitual as you like. "Wenn ich krank war" names a situation that came round again and again, so it takes wenn.
- Als ich in Hamburg wohnte, fuhr ich jeden Tag mit dem Rad.When I lived in Hamburg, I cycled every day. (one period; habits inside it)
- Als der Film zu Ende war, sind wir nach Hause gegangen.When the film was over, we went home. (one occasion)
- Als ich 18 wurde, habe ich den Führerschein gemacht.When I turned 18, I got my driving licence. (one occasion)
- Wenn ich krank war, durfte ich fernsehen.Whenever I was ill, I was allowed to watch TV. (repeated, so wenn)
Als works with any past tense: the simple past (Präteritum), the perfect, or the pluperfect for what had already happened ("Als ich ankam, hatte der Film schon angefangen"). It never introduces a present or future event. "Als ich nächstes Jahr in Rom bin" is wrong whichever way you read it, because next year is not past.
Als has other jobs that have nothing to do with time, which is worth knowing so they do not confuse the rule: after a comparative it means "than" ("größer als ich", taller than me), before a noun it means "as" ("als Kind", as a child; "als Lehrerin", as a teacher), and als ob means "as if". In none of these does it compete with wenn.
Wenn: whenever, and any present or future event
Wenn covers everything "when" can mean that is not a single past occasion and not a question. The first group is repetition. If an event happens again and again, it takes wenn, in the past as much as in the present. The test is simple: if "whenever" or "every time" fits in English, use wenn.
, .
Whenever I call, she’s busy.
Select a word to see why it is there.
wennSubordinator“when”
- Why this word
- Subordinating conjunction of time and condition
- Wenn, because the calling is repeated: it passes the whenever test. Moved into the past, it would still be wenn, "Immer wenn ich anrief, war sie beschäftigt"; als never goes with a repeated event.
- Dictionary
- wenn · conjunction — when, whenever; if
In this sentence
- wenn · Subordinator:
- Wenn, because the calling is repeated: it passes the whenever test. Moved into the past, it would still be wenn, "Immer wenn ich anrief, war sie beschäftigt"; als never goes with a repeated event.
- Immer · Adverb:
- Immer in front of wenn makes "every time" explicit: immer wenn means whenever. It belongs with the wenn clause, so all of "immer wenn ich anrufe" is the first element of the sentence.
- anrufe · Verb:
- The verb, last in the wenn clause. Anrufen is separable, and at the end of a subordinate clause it stays in one piece: anrufe, not rufe … an.
Wenn on its own already means "whenever" when the context is a habit. Immer wenn, jedes Mal wenn (every time) and sooft (as often as) make the repetition explicit, and they are useful exactly where a learner would hesitate. Notice that the past habit gets wenn, never als, even though it is in the past:
- Wenn wir in den Ferien ans Meer fuhren, regnete es.Whenever we went to the seaside on holiday, it rained.
- Jedes Mal, wenn ich ihn sehe, lacht er.Every time I see him, he laughs.
- Immer wenn das Telefon klingelte, rannte der Hund zur Tür.Whenever the phone rang, the dog ran to the door.
The second group is any single event in the present or the future. Here English "when" means "at the moment that" or "once", and German uses wenn. Often the main clause is in the present tense with a future meaning, as German usually prefers:
- Wenn der Film vorbei ist, gehen wir essen.When the film is over, we’ll go and eat.
- Ruf mich an, wenn du angekommen bist.Call me when you’ve arrived.
- Wenn ich groß bin, werde ich Pilotin.When I grow up, I’m going to be a pilot.
The last example is the mirror image of "als ich klein war". The same speaker, grown up and looking back, would say "Als ich klein war, wollte ich Pilotin werden." Same kind of period, but the tense moved to the past, so wenn became als.
Wenn as "if", and wenn vs falls
Wenn also introduces conditions. German does not separate "when" and "if" the way English does: "Wenn es regnet, bleiben wir zu Hause" means both "when it rains" and "if it rains", and context or a word like morgen decides which a speaker means. Most of the time the difference does not matter, because the main clause happens in either reading.
, .
If the train is late, I’ll take a taxi.
Select a word to see why it is there.
WennSubordinator“if”
- Why this word
- Subordinating conjunction of condition and time
- Wenn as "if": the delay is a condition that may not happen. Falls would also be right here and would stress the uncertainty. Als is impossible, because nothing here is a past event.
- Dictionary
- wenn · conjunction — if; when, whenever
- Alternatives
- Falls (if, in case: only a condition)
In this sentence
- Wenn · Subordinator:
- Wenn as "if": the delay is a condition that may not happen. Falls would also be right here and would stress the uncertainty. Als is impossible, because nothing here is a past event.
- hat · Verb:
- The conjugated verb, last in the wenn clause. The present tense covers a future condition: German needs no future tense after wenn.
Falls means "if" or "in case" and nothing else, so it is the word to reach for when you want to make clear that something may not happen. Compare "Nimm einen Schirm mit, falls es regnet" (take an umbrella in case it rains: take it now, just in case) with "Mach das Fenster zu, wenn es regnet" (close the window when it rains, or if it rains: at that moment). Falls belongs to open, real conditions. For an unreal condition, with hätte, wäre or würde, use wenn: "Wenn ich mehr Geld hätte, würde ich reisen."
Unreal conditions are also where wenn most often talks about a single past event. "Wenn ich das gewusst hätte, wäre ich gekommen" (if I had known, I would have come) is about one occasion in the past, and it still takes wenn, because it is a condition that did not happen, not a time. Als never means "if".
- Falls du Fragen hast, schreib mir.If you have any questions, write to me.
- Wenn du willst, (dann) komme ich mit.If you like, I’ll come along. (dann is optional)
- Auch wenn es teuer ist, kaufe ich es.Even if it’s expensive, I’ll buy it.
- Wenn ich du wäre, würde ich warten.If I were you, I’d wait.
Two more combinations come up often. Auch wenn and selbst wenn mean "even if". Wenn … dann is the same as wenn alone, with dann repeating the condition at the start of the main clause; dann then takes first place, and the verb still follows it: "Wenn du willst, dann komme ich mit."
Wann: the question word, direct and indirect
Wann asks for a time. It is an interrogative adverb, like wo (where) and warum (why), not a conjunction, and it is the only one of the three that can start a question. In a direct question it is the first element and the verb comes second: "Wann fängt der Kurs an?" In an indirect question, a question reported inside another sentence, it introduces the clause and the verb goes to the end.
, ?
Do you know when the shop closes?
Select a word to see why it is there.
wannAdverb“when”
- Why this word
- Interrogative adverb of time
- Wann, because the clause asks for a time: do you know at what time the shop closes? It opens an indirect question and sends the verb to the end. Wenn here would mean "if" or "whenever" and make no sense.
- Dictionary
- wann · adverb — when (asking for a time)
- Alternatives
- ob (whether: Weißt du, ob der Laden zumacht?)
In this sentence
- wann · Adverb:
- Wann, because the clause asks for a time: do you know at what time the shop closes? It opens an indirect question and sends the verb to the end. Wenn here would mean "if" or "whenever" and make no sense.
- zumacht · Verb:
- The verb, last in the indirect question, with its separable prefix joined back on. Asked directly, the order changes: "Wann macht der Laden zu?", verb second and prefix at the end.
The indirect question is where English speakers most often write wenn by mistake, because "I don’t know when" does not look like a question. Apply the question test: if "at what time" fits, it is wann. "Ich weiß nicht, wann er kommt" asks about the time of his arrival. "Ich weiß nicht, wenn er kommt" says nothing a German speaker can parse.
One pair shows the difference neatly. "Sag mir, wann du fertig bist" asks for a time: tell me at what time you will be done. "Sag mir Bescheid, wenn du fertig bist" asks for a signal: let me know once you are done. Both are correct; they ask for different things.
- Wann hast du Geburtstag?When is your birthday?
- Seit wann wohnst du hier?How long have you lived here? (literally: since when)
- Bis wann musst du arbeiten?Until when do you have to work?
- Kannst du mir sagen, wann der nächste Bus fährt?Can you tell me when the next bus leaves?
There is one fixed exception to the tests above: wann immer means "whenever" in the sense of "at any time you like", as in "Komm vorbei, wann immer du willst." It is a set phrase, a little more formal, and it does not change the rule. For "every time that", the everyday word is still wenn or immer wenn.
Als or wenn: the same sentence twice
In the past, als and wenn can stand in exactly the same sentence, and the conjunction alone tells the listener whether it happened once or every time. Read the two breakdowns below: every word is the same except the first.
, .
When I visited him (that one time), he cooked spaghetti.
Select a word to see why it is there.
AlsSubordinator“when”
- Why this word
- Subordinating conjunction of time, past only
- Als makes the visit a single past occasion: there was one visit, and on that day he cooked spaghetti. It cannot mean that he did so every time.
- Dictionary
- als · conjunction — when (one occasion or period in the past)
- Alternatives
- Wenn (whenever: every visit)
In this sentence
- Als · Subordinator:
- Als makes the visit a single past occasion: there was one visit, and on that day he cooked spaghetti. It cannot mean that he did so every time.
, .
Whenever I visited him, he cooked spaghetti.
Select a word to see why it is there.
WennSubordinator“whenever”
- Why this word
- Subordinating conjunction of time and condition
- Wenn in a past sentence means "whenever": the visits were repeated, and the spaghetti was a habit. Add immer ("Immer wenn ich ihn besuchte") and the meaning stays the same, only more explicit.
- Dictionary
- wenn · conjunction — when, whenever; if
- Alternatives
- Als (one particular visit)
In this sentence
- Wenn · Subordinator:
- Wenn in a past sentence means "whenever": the visits were repeated, and the spaghetti was a habit. Add immer ("Immer wenn ich ihn besuchte") and the meaning stays the same, only more explicit.
Context usually makes the choice for you. A word like gestern, damals or an einem Sonntag in the sentence points to one occasion and als; immer, jedes Mal, oft or sonntags points to repetition and wenn. When nothing in the sentence decides, the conjunction carries the whole difference, as it does here. And in the present tense there is no choice at all: "Wenn ich ihn besuche, kocht er Spaghetti" can only be wenn, and it means whenever, or when I visit him (next time).
Common mistakes
NotAls es regnete, sind wir immer zu Hause geblieben.
ButWenn es regnete, sind wir immer zu Hause geblieben.
Immer makes the rain a repeated event: every time it rained. A repeated past event takes wenn, not als.
NotWenn ich gestern nach Hause kam, war niemand da.
ButAls ich gestern nach Hause kam, war niemand da.
Gestern makes it one occasion in the past, so als. With wenn the sentence would mean "whenever I came home", which clashes with gestern.
NotAls ich nächste Woche in Berlin bin, besuche ich dich.
ButWenn ich nächste Woche in Berlin bin, besuche ich dich.
Als is for the past only. A single event in the present or future takes wenn.
NotIch weiß nicht, wenn der Bus kommt.
ButIch weiß nicht, wann der Bus kommt.
The clause asks for a time ("at what time the bus comes"), so it is an indirect question and takes wann.
NotAls ich ankam, der Film hatte schon angefangen.
ButAls ich ankam, hatte der Film schon angefangen.
The als clause is the first element of the sentence, so the main verb must come straight after the comma, before the subject.
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Check yourself
1 / 10
Complete the sentence: "When I was a student, I lived in Leipzig."
___ ich Student war, wohnte ich in Leipzig.
Answer
Wenn: Wenn would turn it into "whenever I was a student", as if you had been a student several separate times.
Als ✓: Being a student is one period of the past, so als, however many years it lasted.
Wann: Wann asks for a time. Nothing here is a question.
2 / 10
Which sentence says "Every time we were at the lake, we went swimming"?
Answer
Als wir am See waren, sind wir immer geschwommen.: Als names one stay at the lake. With immer and "every time", the visits were repeated, which needs wenn.
Wann wir am See waren, sind wir immer geschwommen.: Wann is the question word. It cannot introduce a time clause like this.
Wenn wir am See waren, sind wir immer geschwommen. ✓: Repeated visits in the past: the whenever test passes, so wenn.
3 / 10
Which sentence says "When I woke up this morning, it was snowing"?
Answer
Wenn ich heute Morgen aufwachte, schneite es.: Wenn in the past means whenever. It clashes with heute Morgen, which names one morning.
Als ich heute Morgen aufwachte, schneite es. ✓: Heute Morgen makes it one occasion in the past, so als.
Als ich heute Morgen aufwachte, es schneite.: The right conjunction, but the main clause must start with its verb straight after the comma: schneite es.
4 / 10
Which sentence says "When I’m retired, I’ll travel a lot"?
Answer
Als ich in Rente bin, reise ich viel.: Als is for the past only. Retirement here is still in the future.
Wann ich in Rente bin, reise ich viel.: Wann asks for a time; this sentence is not a question.
Wenn ich in Rente bin, reise ich viel. ✓: A single future event takes wenn. The present tense covers the future meaning in both clauses.
5 / 10
Which sentence says "Can you tell me when the meeting starts?"
Answer
Kannst du mir sagen, wenn das Meeting anfängt?: This would mean "tell me once the meeting starts", a signal at that moment, not the time of the start.
Kannst du mir sagen, wann das Meeting anfängt? ✓: An indirect question about a time takes wann, with the verb at the end.
Kannst du mir sagen, wann fängt das Meeting an?: Wann is right, but this keeps direct-question order. In an indirect question the verb goes to the end: anfängt.
6 / 10
Which word fits best? "Take a jacket with you, in case it gets cold."
Nimm eine Jacke mit, ___ es kalt wird.
Answer
als: Als is for one past occasion, and this is advice about the future.
wann: Wann asks for a time. Nothing here asks when it will get cold.
falls ✓: Falls means "in case": take it now, as a precaution against something that may not happen.
7 / 10
Which sentence says "If I had a car, I would drive to the sea"?
Answer
Als ich ein Auto hätte, würde ich ans Meer fahren.: Als never means "if". It names a past occasion, which this is not.
Wenn ich ein Auto hätte, würde ich ans Meer fahren. ✓: An unreal condition takes wenn with the Konjunktiv II: hätte, würde.
Wann ich ein Auto hätte, würde ich ans Meer fahren.: Wann is the question word and cannot introduce a condition.
8 / 10
Build the sentence, starting with the als clause.
“When we got to the station, the train had already left.”
Answer
Als wir am Bahnhof ankamen, war der Zug schon abgefahren
Als wir am Bahnhof ankamen, war der Zug schon abgefahren: als for one occasion, then verb, comma, verb, and the participle at the end.
9 / 10
Build the question with the verb in the right place.
“Do you know when the concert starts?”
Answer
Weißt du, wann das Konzert beginnt?
Weißt du, wann das Konzert beginnt? The main clause is a yes/no question, and the wann clause puts its verb last.
10 / 10
Type the missing word: "Whenever it snows, the children play outside."
___ es schneit, spielen die Kinder draußen.
Answer
Wenn / wenn / Immer wenn / immer wenn
A repeated event in the present takes wenn; immer wenn makes "every time" explicit and is just as right.
Wenn, als and wann in Epsylo
In an Epsylo breakdown, als and wenn are marked as subordinating conjunctions and wann as a question word, each in its own colour, and the verb at the end of their clause points back to them in the dependency tree. Select the conjunction and the word card says why it is als and not wenn in that sentence: one occasion, a repeated event, a future event or a condition. It is a quick way to check a sentence you have written before you send it.
Questions
- What is the difference between wenn and als?
- Both translate "when" in a time clause. Als is only for the past, and only for one occasion or one period: "Als ich ankam", "Als ich ein Kind war". Wenn is for repeated events in any tense ("whenever"), for single events in the present or future, and for conditions ("if").
- Is it "als ich ein Kind war" or "wenn ich ein Kind war"?
- "Als ich ein Kind war." Childhood is one period of the past, so it takes als, even if the main clause describes habits: "Als ich ein Kind war, spielte ich jeden Tag Fußball."
- Does als ever describe habits in the past?
- No. A repeated event in a past time clause takes wenn: "Wenn wir Oma besuchten, gab es Kuchen." Als can introduce a period during which habits happened ("Als ich in Rom wohnte, ging ich oft ins Kino"), but the als clause itself names one period, not a repeated event.
- When do I use wann instead of wenn?
- Use wann when you ask for a time, directly ("Wann kommst du?") or indirectly ("Ich weiß nicht, wann er kommt"). If "at what time" fits in English, it is wann. Wenn is never a question word.
- What is the difference between wenn and falls?
- Both can mean "if". Falls means only "if" or "in case" and stresses that something may not happen: "Nimm einen Schirm mit, falls es regnet." Wenn can also mean "when" or "whenever", and it is the word for unreal conditions: "Wenn ich Zeit hätte, käme ich mit."
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