wier / hätt

Would Be and Would Have: Wier and Hätt

Level 3

Wier means would be and hätt means would have: Dat wier flott! (That would be great!), Ech hätt gär méi Zäit (I would like more time).

How It Works

1. The forms

  • sinn: ech wier, du wiers, hie/hatt wier, mir wieren, dir wiert, si wieren
  • hunn: ech hätt, du häss, hien/hatt hätt, mir hätten, dir hätt, si hätten

For sinn you will also see wär and wären; both spellings are listed in the dictionary. The plural forms follow the n-rule: mir hätten Zäit, but mir hätte keng Zäit.

2. Past or conditional?
The forms look alike, so watch the vowel:

  • Dat war flott. (That was great.) → Dat wier flott. (That would be great.)
  • Ech hat Zäit. (I had time.) → Ech hätt Zäit. (I would have time.)

See Simple Past of Sinn and Hunn.

3. What they are used for

  • Imagined situations: Wann ech räich wier, ... (If I were rich, ...). See Unreal Conditions.
  • Wishes, with gär: Ech hätt gär méi Zäit. (I would like more time.) See Ech hätt gär.
  • Politeness: Dat wier alles, merci. (That is everything, thank you.) See Polite Conditional.

4. With a participle
Wier and hätt also build the past conditional: Dat wier flott gewiescht (That would have been great). See Unreal Past.

Examples (6)

  1. Dat wier flott!

    That would be great!

  2. Ech hätt gär méi Zäit.

    I would like to have more time.

    Hätt gär expresses a wish.

  3. Ech wier léiwer doheem.

    I would rather be at home.

  4. Häss du muer Zäit?

    Would you have time tomorrow?

    The du form of hätt is häss.

  5. Dat wier alles, merci.

    That's everything, thank you.

    A polite way to finish an order in a shop or café.

  6. Ouni dech hätte mir e Problem.

    Without you, we would have a problem.

    Hätten loses its n before m by the n-rule.

Common Mistakes

  • Building the du form of hätt with -ts.

    Hätts du muer Zäit?
    Häss du muer Zäit?

    The du form is häss, just as the past form is has.

  • Using the past form for an imagined situation.

    Wann ech räich war, géif ech en Haus kafen.
    Wann ech räich wier, géif ech en Haus kafen.

    War means was. For an imagined situation, use the conditional wier.

  • Keeping the n of hätten before a consonant that drops it.

    Mir hätten keng Zäit.
    Mir hätte keng Zäit.

    By the n-rule, hätten loses its n before k.

How It Connects

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

wier / hättLevel 3Would Be and Would Have: Wier and Hätt

Learn This First

Before Would Be and Would Have: Wier and Hätt, learn Would: Géif + Infinitive and Simple Past of Sinn and Hunn.

Words in This Pattern

hunn