gäbe

Gäbe is the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive mood) form of the German verb geben, meaning “to give.” It is used to express hypothetical situations, wishes, or polite requests, and it can substitute for the more common würdest du geben construction in formal or literary contexts. In regular speech, speakers often prefer the würdest + infinitive construction (würde geben) to express the same idea.

Morphology and usage notes: as a subjunctive form, gäbe appears in clauses that describe unreal or uncertain scenarios. Typical forms of the Konjunktiv II for geben yield ich gäbe, er gäbe, wir gäben, etc., with variations in the second-person singular in older or more formal styles (such as gäbtest or gäbst). In modern usage, you will most often see ich gäbe and er gäbe in standard written German, with other persons understood from context. The phrase "Gäbe es doch..." is a fixed, widely used expression meaning "If only there were..."

Examples:

- Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, gäbe ich dir das Buch. (If I had more time, I would give you the book.)

- Gäbe es doch einen besseren Weg! (If only there were a better way!)

- Ich gäbe dir gern das Geld, wenn ich könnte. (I would gladly give you the money if I could.)

Noun note: the noun Gabe (capitalized) means “gift” or “donation.” It is etymologically related to the verb geben but is a separate word with a distinct meaning and plural Gaben. Gäbe, as a verb form, does not carry the noun meaning.

See also: Konjunktiv II, German grammar, conditional mood, Würde-forms.