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Conditional tenseUsing 'man'

The conditional tense allows you to express imaginative ideas about what might, would, could and should happen in the future. It's a great way to describe your wildest dreams and fantasies.

Part of GermanGrammar

Using 'man'

Instead of saying du, Germans often prefer to say man (one, you, we), eg:

  • man sollte gesund essen 鈥 one should eat healthily

Question

Translate the following sentences into German, using man instead of du.

  • You should be active.
  • You could do more sport.
  • You should go for a walk every day.
  • You should never take drugs.
  • You should avoid fatty food.
  • You should not smoke.
  • You could walk to school.
  • You could eat fewer sweets.
  • You should eat fruit and veg every day.

Using 'es sollte...geben'

You use es gibt (there is/are) in the present tense, but to say what 'there should be' in your town or local area, use

es sollte... geben - there should be...

Question

Read the suggestions below and match each one to a picture.

Icons labelled with letters showing - A - good restaurant; B - sports; C - train station; D - a park; E - rubbish on the streets; F - shops; G - planting a tree; H - a cinema.
  • Es sollte einen gro脽en Park geben.
  • Es sollte weniger M眉ll auf den Stra脽en geben.
  • Es sollte mehr Kinos geben.
  • Es sollte mehr Sportm枚glichkeiten geben.
  • Es sollte mehr B盲ume geben.
  • Es sollte bessere Restaurants geben.
  • Es sollte einen Bahnhof geben.
  • Es sollte mehr Gesch盲fte geben.

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Would, could, should

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