hättest

Hättest is the second-person singular form of the German verb haben in the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive II). It corresponds to hypothetical or counterfactual situations involving the subject "you" (du), and is often translated as "you would have" or "you had" in English, depending on the context. The form hättest is derived from the irregular verb haben and is used to express wishes, hypothetical conditions, or polite requests.

Morphology and formation: In Konjunktiv II, haben appears as ich hätte, du hättest, er hätte, wir hätten, ihr hättet, sie hätten. The stem hätt- combines with the second-person ending -est to yield hättest. This mood contrasts with the indicative Präteritum form hattest, which simply means “you had” in the past without any hypothetical sense.

Usage: Hättest is common in conditional clauses and expressions of wish or polite request. Examples include:

- Wenn du mehr Zeit hättest, könntest du früher gehen. (If you had more time, you could leave earlier.)

- Ich wünschte, du hättest mir früher Bescheid gesagt. (I wish you had told me earlier.)

- Hättest du kurz Zeit, könntest du mir helfen? (If you had a moment, could you help me?)

Indirect speech and stylistic use: The Konjunktiv II form hättest is also used in indirect speech or reported speech to convey reported conditions or hypothetical statements, e.g., Er sagte, du hättest recht. This usage is common in both written and spoken German and can convey a softer, more tentative tone compared to the indicative.

Relation to other forms: Hattest is the Präteritum (indicative past) form for du, meaning a definite past action. Hättest marks a hypothetical or unreal situation rather than a straightforward past event.