Polite Conditional: Ech hätt eng Fro

Level 3

In shops, offices and with people you do not know, Luxembourgish often uses the conditional to sound polite: Ech hätt eng Fro. (I have a question.) Dat wier alles, merci. (That's everything, thank you.)

How It Works

1. Soft statements
A statement in the conditional sounds less direct:

  • Ech hätt eng Fro. (I have a question.)
  • Dat wier alles, merci. (That's everything, thank you.)

For ordering something, see Ech hätt gär.

2. Polite questions
Start with the conditional verb and put any infinitive at the end:

  • Hätt Dir e Moment Zäit? (Would you have a moment?)
  • Géift Dir mir wannechgelift soen, wou d'Gare ass? (Would you please tell me where the station is?)
  • Kéint Dir mir hëllefen? (Could you help me?) See kéint.
  • Dierft ech Iech eng Fro stellen? (May I ask you a question?)
  • Wier et méiglech, den Termin ze verréckelen? (Would it be possible to move the appointment?)

3. The forms with Dir
With polite Dir, géif and wier add a -t: Dir géift, Dir wiert. Hätt, kéint and dierft keep the same form as with ech: Dir hätt, Dir kéint, Dir dierft. See Wier and Hätt, Géif + Infinitive and Conditional Modals for all persons.

4. How polite?
From direct to very polite: Sot mir, wou d'Gare ass. → Kënnt Dir mir soen, wou d'Gare ass? → Géift Dir mir wannechgelift soen, wou d'Gare ass? Adding wannechgelift makes any of them friendlier. In writing it is shortened to wgl.

Examples (6)

  1. Ech hätt eng Fro.

    I have a question.

    Literally: I would have a question. Hätt makes it softer.

  2. Dat wier alles, merci.

    That's everything, thank you.

    A common way to finish an order.

  3. Géift Dir mir wannechgelift soen, wou d'Gare ass?

    Would you please tell me where the station is?

    Géift goes with Dir, and the infinitive soen goes to the end of its clause.

  4. Dierft ech Iech eng Fro stellen?

    May I ask you a question?

    Dierft (also däerft) is the conditional of däerfen.

  5. Hätt Dir e Moment Zäit?

    Would you have a moment?

  6. Wier et méiglech, den Termin ze verréckelen?

    Would it be possible to move the appointment?

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the -t off géif with Dir.

    Géif Dir mir soen, wou d'Gare ass?
    Géift Dir mir soen, wou d'Gare ass?

    With dir and Dir, géif becomes géift.

  • Using géif without an infinitive.

    Ech géif gär e Kaffi.
    Ech hätt gär e Kaffi.

    Géif always needs an infinitive. To ask for a thing, use hätt gär.

  • Leaving the infinitive in the middle.

    Géift Dir soen mir, wou d'Gare ass?
    Géift Dir mir soen, wou d'Gare ass?

    The infinitive soen goes to the end of its clause, after mir.

How It Connects

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

Polite Conditional: Ech hätt eng FroLevel 3

Learn This First

Before Polite Conditional: Ech hätt eng Fro, learn Would Be and Would Have: Wier and Hätt and Could, Should, Would Have To.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

hunn