Würdest

würdest is a conjugated form of the German verb werden and belongs to the Konjunktiv II (present subjunctive). It is the second person singular form, used with du, and functions to express hypothetical, conditional, or polite meaning. As a grammatical inflection rather than a standalone word, its primary purpose is to indicate what would happen under certain conditions.

In practice, du würdest appears in conditional or hypothetical clauses and in polite requests. For example: Was würdest du tun? (What would you do?). Du würdest auch mit mir kommen, wenn du Zeit hättest. In everyday speech, würdest often coexists with other infinitives, as in du würdest gehen (you would go). The Konjunktiv II of werden is frequently realized with würde forms, and du würdest is a standard, widely understood realization of that mood and tense.

Würdest contrasts with du wirst, the present indicative form meaning “you become” or “you will.” The Konjunktiv II form is used to distance the statement from certainty, signaling hypothetical or polite nuance. In formal or written German, du würdest is common in conditional constructions, while in conversation the shorter but more frequent construction with würde + infinitive (du würdest gehen) is also used.

Other persons: ihr würdet (you would, plural), er würde (he would), wir würden (we would). For the polite second person, Sie würden is used. The form du würdest thus plays a central role in expressing imagined outcomes, advice, or requests within the second-person perspective.