Ein einmaliges Ereignis oder wiederholt?
Both als and wenn can translate to English "when" - which is exactly why they're one of the most commonly confused word pairs at this level. The distinction is simple once named: one-time past event vs. everything else.
Als ich nach Deutschland gezogen bin, war ich nervös. (When I moved to Germany [that one time], I was nervous.)
Both clauses use subordinating word order - the verb moves to the end after als, exactly like weil (Lesson 26) and ob (Lesson 69).
Wenn ich Deutsch spreche, bin ich nervös. (Whenever I speak German, I'm nervous - repeated, ongoing habit.)
Wenn ich Zeit habe, rufe ich dich an. (When/if I have time, I'll call you - future/conditional.)
| Did it happen exactly once, in the past? | → als |
| Does/did it happen repeatedly, or is it present/future? | → wenn |
A helpful memory anchor: als is for a single "flashbulb" moment you could point to on a calendar once; wenn covers everything that repeats or hasn't happened yet.
1. "When I moved to Germany, I was nervous." (one-time) - ______ ich nach Deutschland gezogen bin, war ich nervös.
2. "Whenever I speak German, I'm nervous." (repeated) - ______ ich Deutsch spreche, bin ich nervös.
3. Does "als" ever describe a future event?
4. Where does the verb go in an als-clause?
5. Which word covers both "when" (repeated) and "if" (conditional)?
Cross-checked against the Goethe-Institut A1 practice materials.
Unsure whether a specific memory needs als or wenn? Ask your teaching agent.