ech hätt gär

I Would Like: Ech Hätt Gär

Level 1

Ech hätt gär means I would like. Put the thing you want after it: Ech hätt gär e Kaffi, wannechgelift.

How It Works

The forms

  • ech hätt gär (I would like)
  • du häss gär (you would like, one friend)
  • hien / si / hatt / et hätt gär (he / she / it would like)
  • mir hätte gär (we would like)
  • dir hätt gär (you would like, several people)
  • si hätte gär (they would like)
  • Dir hätt gär (you would like, polite)

Hätten loses its n before gär by the n-rule, so you write mir hätte gär.

Where the thing goes
With e, eng, a number or a plain noun, the noun usually follows gär: Ech hätt gär eng Zopp. With a definite thing such as dee Kuch (that cake), the noun often comes before gär: Ech hätt dee Kuch gär, wannechgelift.

Gär, gären and gäre
The dictionary also accepts gären and gäre. The form with n follows the n-rule: gären before a vowel or d, h, n, t, z (Ech hätt gären en Äppel), gäre before other consonants. Plain gär is always correct.

Asking and offering
Staff often ask Wat hätt Dir gär? (What would you like?). Add wannechgelift to sound friendly.

Three look-alikes

  • Ech hätt gär e Kaffi. I would like a coffee (now).
  • Ech hu Kaffi gär. I like coffee (in general), with gär hunn.
  • Ech géif gär schwamme goen. I would like to go swimming: an action takes géif gär.

Later you will meet hätt and wier as full conditional verbs and other polite conditional phrases.

Examples (6)

  1. Ech hätt gär e Kaffi, wannechgelift.

    I'd like a coffee, please.

    Word by Word: I would-have gladly a coffee, please.

  2. Ech hätt gären e Bréitche mat Kéis.

    I'd like a bread roll with cheese.

    Word by Word: I would-have gladly a bread-roll with cheese.

    Gären keeps its n before the vowel of e. Bréitchen loses its n before m.

  3. Mir hätte gär zwee Billjeeën, wannechgelift.

    We'd like two tickets, please.

    Word by Word: We would-have gladly two tickets, please.

    Hätten becomes hätte before g. Billjeeën keeps its n before the comma.

  4. Wat hätt Dir gär?

    What would you like?

    Word by Word: What would-have you gladly?

    A polite question from a waiter or shop assistant.

  5. Ech hätt dee Kuch gär, wannechgelift.

    I'd like that cake, please.

    Word by Word: I would-have that cake gladly, please.

    With a definite thing, the noun often comes before gär.

  6. Hatt hätt gär eng Kaz.

    She would like a cat.

    Word by Word: She would-have gladly a cat.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the present tense hunn gär when ordering.

    Ech hu gär e Kaffi, wannechgelift.
    Ech hätt gär e Kaffi, wannechgelift.

    Intended meaning: ordering a coffee now. Hunn gär means to like something in general, so the first sentence does not work as an order. Use the would-form hätt.

  • Putting an action verb after hätt gär.

    Ech hätt gär schwammen.
    Ech géif gär schwamme goen.

    Hätt gär is followed by a thing, not by an infinitive. For an action, use géif gär with the infinitive at the end.

  • Keeping the n of hätten before gär.

    Mir hätten gär zwou Glacen.
    Mir hätte gär zwou Glacen.

    By the n-rule, hätten drops its n before g. Keep it only before a vowel or d, h, n, t, z.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ech hätt gärLevel 1I Would Like: Ech Hätt Gär

Learn This First

Before I Would Like: Ech hätt gär, learn Liking With Gär.

Words in This Pattern

hunn