I. In Unit 12 we mentioned several devices for talking about past time in German. of the AUXILIARY VERB plus a PAST PARTICIPLE. When we want to refer to an action or state previous to a past time under discussion, the PAST TENSE of haben or sein plus the PAST PARTICIPLE is used.
One of them was the PERFECT PHRASE, consisting of the PRESENT TENSE This is called the PLUPERFECT PHRASE.
1. Note the following examples:
a ) Er kam gestern abend zu mir, nachdem er seine Fahrkarte gelöst hatte.
He came to my house yesterday evening after he had bought his ticket.
b ) Als ich vom Kiosk zurückkam, war der Zug schon abgefahren.
When I came back from the news stand the train had already left.
c ) Sie hatte ihre Koffer schon einem Gepäckträger gegeben, ehe ich ins Abteil kam.
She had already given her suitcases to a porter before I came to the compartment.
2. The previous action or state may only be implied or may have been indicated in other sentences in context:
Also war der Zug inzwischen schon eingelaufen?
The train had come in the meantime then?
11. The PLUPERFECT PHRASE with the verbs dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen, wollen and lassen.
1. Instead of the PAST PARTICIPLE the INFINITIVE form is used when these verbs are themselves functioning as auxiliaries in a PLUPERFECT PHRASE. See Unit 12, where the PERFECT PHRASE is described, and the following examples:
a ) Diesen Koffer hatte er mit ins Abteil nehmen wollen.
He had intended to take this suitcase with him to the compartment.
b) Er hatte seine Frau erst anrufen müssen.
He had had to telephone his wife first.
2. When a PERFECT or PLUPERFECT PHRASE with one of the above verbs functioning as an auxiliary occurs in a subordinate clause, the finite verb does not come last in the clause. Note the following examples:
a ) Da er den Koffer ins Abteil hatte mitnehmen wollen, müsste er nochmal zurückgehen.
Since he had intended to take the suitcase along with him to the compartment he had to go back again.
b) Ich wusste nicht, dass du schon den Anzug hattest aufbügeln lassen.
I didn't know that you had already had the suit pressed.
B. VERBS. THE INFINITIVE AND THE INFINITIVE PHRASE.
I. The INFINITIVE in verb phrases was discussed in Units 2, 9 and 11. Here we noted that the auxiliary verbs dürfen, können, möchte(ß), müssen, sollen, wollen and lassen occur with an infinitive in much the same way as English can, may, must, let, etc., and that the auxiliary verb werden is used with the infinitive to form the future phrase just as English will. The following examples are given as a review of this construction:
a) Er konnte keine Reiselektüre kaufen.
He couldn't buy anything to read on th2 trip.
b) Ich ~ einige Briefe schreiben. I have to write some letters.
c) Lassen Sie diesen Artikel doch bitte übersetzen.
Have this article translated please.
d) Der Page wird es auf Ihr Zimmer bringen.
The bellhop will bring it up to your room~.---
Note that the INFINITIVE always occurs at the end of the sentence and that its form remains invariable, no matter what form the auxiliary verb has.
11. The construction in which the INFINITIVE is preceded by or combined with zu is called the INFINITIVE PHRASE.
1. Note the following examples:
a) Wie lange beabsichtigen Sie zu bleiben?
How long do you intend to stay?
b) Versuchen Sie doch bitte, eine Karte für die Staatsoper zu bekommen.
Please try to get a ticket for the State Opera.
c) Wir machten einen Abstecher nach Hannover, um uns die Industriemesse anzusehen.
We took a side trip to Hannover in order to look around the industrial exposition.
d) Sie brauchen heute nicht länger zu bleiben.
You don't need to stay longer today.
e) Unser Plan, nach Hamburg zu fahren, hat nicht geklappt.
Our plan ~ to Hamburg didn't work out.
An INFINITIVE PHRASE may consist only of the INFINITIVE with zu as in example a) above, or it may consist of a number of other sentence elements (nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, etc.) in addition to the INFINITIVE with zu as in examples b), cl, d), and c) Notice that these other elements always precede the INFINITIVE with zu. In the English translations you will notice that they follow the English INFINITIVE. The INFINITIVE with zu however, unlike the INFINITIVE in verb phrases, is not
always the last element in the sentence.
2. The INFINITIVE PHRASE may be introduced by apreposition, as seen in 1. c) above. The preposition ~ occurs most commonly in this construction. It is frequently, although not exclusively, used to express purpose or intent.
ai Ich gehe zur Bank, um Geld abzuheben.
I' m going to the bank (in order) to get some money.
b) Er setzte sich mit dem Konsulat in Verbindung, um die Auskunft zu bekommen.
He got in touch with the consulate in order to get the information.
c) Er ging in das Konzert, um die Philharmoniker zu hören.
He went to the concert to hear the Philharmonie.
d) Das Kind ist noch zu klein, um allein mit der Strassenbahn zu fahren.
The child is still too small to go on the streetcar alone.
3. In a number of cases the preposition um may occur optionally.
a) Da haben wir noch Zeit, uns den Ort anzusehen. or Da haben wir noch Zeit, Ym uns den Ort anzusehen.
Then we still have time to take a look around the place.
b) Er hat sich MUhe geben müssen, den Koffer vor Abfahrt des Zuges noch herauszubekommen. or Er hat sich Mühe geben müssen, um den Koffer vor Abfahrt des Zuges noch herauszubekommen.
He had to make an effort ~ t the suitcase out in time before the train left.
III. The INFINITIVE has come to be accepted as the citation form of the verb. It is the form cited in most dictionaries and vocabulary lists and is the form presented in the build-ups of our basic sentences when a new verb is introduced. When the verb has an accented adverb however we also cite the ichor er-form of the present or past in order to indicate this fact.
It should be noted that when a verb with an accented adverb occurs in the INFINITIVE form with zu the accented adverb precedes zu and the whole thing is written as one word. In paragraph II above, sentences l.c), 2.a) and 3.a) and b) contain such forms. The following are additional examples:
anzurufen einzurichten
mitzukommen vorzustellen
C. TIME EXPRESSIONS: ~, wenn and als
Wann, wenn and als. have all occurred in the basic sentences with the English translation ''when''. They are however not interchangeable, but are quite
distinct in meaning.
Wann macht die Post eigentlich zu? (5)
When does the post office close actually?
Ich rufe Sie sofort an, wenn ich Bescheid habe. (14)
1'11 call you immediately when I have an answer.
Als wir ankamen, regnete es. (13)
When we arrived it was raining.
1. Wann occurs in quest ions or in sentences that imply a question (indirect questions). It may occur with present, past or future time.
Wann werden Sie nach Deutschland fahren?
When will you be going to Germany?
Ich konnte ihm nicht sagen, wann die Konferenz stattgefunden hatte.
I couldn't tell him when (at what time) the conference had taken place.
2. Wenn occurs in statements referring to a recurrent action or situation in the present or past ('whenever") and in statements referring to a specific action or situation in the present or future. Note that in this latter situation Germans don't really differentiate between 'when" and "if".
Wenn er französisch sprach, konnte ich ihn nie verstehen.
When (whenever) he spoke French I could never understand him.
Später, wenn es nicht mehr regnet, könnten wir vielleicht noch einen Spaziergang machen.
Later, when (if) it's no longer raining perhaps we could take a walk.
3. Als refers to a specific action or situation in the past. Ich rannte zum Kiosk, doch als ich zurückkam, war der Zug schon abgefahren.
Iran to the news stand, but when I came back the train had already left.