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Meaning
If I had more time, I would help you with the work.
Word for word: If I more time had, would I you at the work help.
The speaker does not have more time, so they cannot help; the sentence expresses a hypothetical wish or regret.
A conditional sentence in Konjunktiv II: the wenn-clause states the unreal condition with hätte (subjunctive of haben), and the main clause gives the unreal result with würde plus the infinitive helfen.
Rules at work(6)
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Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte
The wenn-clause states the condition on which the main clause depends.
Wenn introduces a condition and sends its verb to the end. The wenn can be dropped, in which case the verb moves to the front of the clause instead.
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hätte ... würde ... helfen
Both clauses use Konjunktiv II to express something contrary to fact.
The form for the hypothetical, the unreal and the polite. Wäre, hätte and the modals have their own forms; most other verbs use würde plus an infinitive.
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Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte
In the wenn-clause the finite verb hätte comes last.
In a subordinate clause the finite verb stands last. Where the clause also holds a participle or an infinitive, the finite verb goes after them, so the order at the end is participle then auxiliary.
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würde ich
In the main clause the finite verb würde occupies second position.
In a German main clause the finite verb is always the second element. The first element can be the subject, but it can just as easily be a time expression, an object or a whole subordinate clause; whatever it is, it counts as one element and the verb follows it. This is why putting something other than the subject first pushes the subject after the verb.
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dir ... helfen
helfen takes its object in the dative.
Helfen, danken, folgen, gefallen, gehören, passen, antworten and a few dozen others take a dative object where English would use a direct one. Ich helfe dir, never ich helfe dich.
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bei der Arbeit
bei always governs the dative.
Aus, außer, bei, mit, nach, seit, von and zu always take the dative. Several of them contract with the article: von dem becomes vom, zu der becomes zur.
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Words(11)
- wenn
if, when(ever)
conjunctionA2subordinating
triggers verb-final word order; conditional 'if' here
- ich
I
pronounA1personal
- viel
many, much
adjectiveA2
'viel' before plural countable nouns means 'many'; its comparative is the irregular 'mehr'.
- die Zeit
time
nounA1pl. Zeitengen. Zeitinvariable declension
- haben
to have
verbA1haben, hatte, hat gehabtmit habenirregular
As an auxiliary it forms the perfect tenses of most verbs.
- werden
become, will (future auxiliary)
verbA2werden, wurde, ist gewordenmit habenirregular
Also the passive auxiliary; do not confuse with bekommen (= receive).
- du
you (informal singular)
pronounA1personal
dir is its dative form.
- bei
at, near, with
prepositionA2governs dative
'bei 42 Prozent' = 'at 42 percent', standard in poll reporting.
- der
the
determinerA1definite
Appears twice: dative feminine 'der Wirtschaft' and nominative plural 'die Beschlüsse'.
- die Arbeit
work, job, labour
nounA1pl. Arbeitengen. Arbeitinvariable declension
- helfen
to help
verbA1helfen, half, hat geholfenmit habenstronggoverns dative
'helfen' takes a dative object: 'Ich helfe dir.' not 'Ich helfe dich.'