Separate the source from the reporter
Mara sagt: „Ich bin müde.“ → Mara sagt, sie sei müde. The report attributes the statement to Mara. Konjunktiv I marks reported content especially clearly in news and formal summaries. It does not prove that the statement is false. Everyday reports also use indicative: Mara sagt, dass sie müde ist. That indicative is not a guarantee that the reporter has checked the claim. Source, context and wording all contribute to the stance.
Before changing forms, record who spoke, to whom, when and where. A faithful report preserves those relationships even when pronouns or time words change. Quotation marks belong to the original wording, not to a paraphrase.
A reliable reporting route
- Identify the source
Mara sagte am Montag …
Record speaker, day and place.
- Choose the form
sie sei / sie kämen
Recognizable KI, or a justified replacement.
- Preserve time
sie habe schon angerufen
Earlier than the original statement.
- Check the speech act
sie fragte, ob … / sie bat ihn, …
A question and a request need different constructions.
Useful Konjunktiv I forms
| Person | sein | haben | kommen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich | sei | habe | komme |
| du | seiest | habest | kommest |
| er / sie / es | sei | habe | komme |
| wir | seien | haben | kommen |
| ihr | seiet | habet | kommet |
| sie / Sie | seien | haben | kommen |
For most verbs, use the infinitive stem plus -e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en. Sein has its own stem sei-. Present indicative vowel changes do not carry over: er gibt becomes er gebe, not “er gibe”. Many forms look exactly like indicative, especially wir and sie plural. That overlap is why replacement forms matter. The du and ihr forms are less common in third-person reporting, but they are grammatical.
Choose a recognizable report form
Die Gäste sagen, sie kämen später. Konjunktiv I sie kommen matches indicative sie kommen. Konjunktiv II kämen makes the reporting form visible. This replacement does not by itself mean the reporter doubts their arrival. If Konjunktiv II also matches an indicative past form, a würde construction can be clearer: Sie erklärten, sie würden am Eingang warten. The aim is an intelligible report, not mechanically replacing every verb with würde.
Konjunktiv II can express doubt, unreality or politeness in other contexts. Decide from its function in this sentence. A source label such as nach Angaben der Gäste can make attribution explicit when mood alone is ambiguous. Hypothetical conditions and comparisons have their own functions and should not be mixed into a neutral report without a reason.
Keep the time relation; do not backshift automatically
| Relation to the original speaking time | Report | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous | Mara sagte, sie sei krank. | She was ill at the time she spoke. |
| Earlier | Mara sagte, sie sei am Vortag krank gewesen. | Illness preceded that statement. |
| Earlier action | Mara sagte, sie habe bereits angerufen. | habe + Partizip II reports an earlier action. |
| Later | Mara sagte, sie werde am Freitag kommen. | Arrival is later than her statement. |
German does not require a tense backshift just because sagte is past. A present-form Konjunktiv can express simultaneity with a past statement. Context can also allow a present form for a future arrangement. Werde is useful when the prospective relation needs to be explicit. Translate the time relationship, not the English tense label.
Shift pronouns and place only when the perspective changes
Mara sagte am Montag in Berlin: „Ich arbeite morgen hier.“ On Tuesday in Hamburg, you can report: Mara sagte am Montag, sie arbeite am Dienstag in Berlin. Ich becomes sie because Mara is now a third person. Morgen becomes a named day because the report is made later. Hier becomes in Berlin because the reporter is elsewhere. If you report on the same Monday in the same office, morgen and hier can remain.
Possessives follow the same identity check: “mein Schlüssel” becomes ihr Schlüssel when Mara owns it, not automatically sein Schlüssel because Schlüssel is masculine. The owner determines the stem; the noun determines the ending. Use names when several people could fit the same pronoun.
Report questions and requests as different speech acts
Jonas fragt: „Kommt der Bus noch?“ → Jonas fragt, ob der Bus noch komme. Er fragt: „Wann fährt er ab?“ → Er fragt, wann er abfahre. Yes/no questions use ob; W-questions keep the appropriate W-expression. The finite verb moves to the end of the embedded question. Indicative kommt or abfährt is also possible in an everyday report. The subordinate form does not use direct-question order. Review ob and wenn.
Mara bittet Jonas: „Warte bitte hier.“ → Mara bittet Jonas, dort zu warten. This reports a request rather than pretending the imperative itself is a subordinate verb form. A reported instruction can also use sollen: Mara sagte, Jonas solle dort warten. The chosen reporting verb and modal help preserve whether the original was a request or an instruction. See the bitten construction and the modal-verb guide.
Eight reporting decisions
1. Report Mara’s “Ich bin bereit” with Konjunktiv I.
Mara sagt, sie sei bereit. Sein has the third-person form sei.
2. Form Konjunktiv I: “er gibt”.
er gebe. Use the infinitive stem geb-, without the indicative vowel change.
3. Make plural “sie kommen” visibly subjunctive in a formal report.
sie kämen. Konjunktiv II replaces an indistinct Konjunktiv I; doubt is not automatic.
4. Mara was ill when she spoke yesterday. Complete: “Sie sagte, sie ___ krank.”
sei. Simultaneity does not require backshifting to a past perfect.
5. The call happened before the statement. Report “Ich habe schon angerufen.”
Mara sagte, sie habe schon angerufen. Habe + Partizip II expresses the earlier action.
6. Report “Ist der Raum frei?” after “Jonas fragt, …” using KI.
ob der Raum frei sei. Ob introduces the yes/no question; sei goes last.
7. Report the request “Unterschreib bitte hier” with bitten.
Mara bittet Jonas, dort zu unterschreiben. Jonas is the accusative addressee; zu marks the infinitive. Hier may remain if the place is unchanged.
8. Does indicative in “Mara sagt, sie ist müde” certify the truth?
No. It is a common reporting choice; context and explicit source attribution still matter.
Turn an interview into a short report
Imagine a colleague says: “I am working from home today. I sent the document yesterday. Can you check it tomorrow? Please call me afterwards.” Write a four-sentence report in German. State the original day and your reporting day first. Include one clear Konjunktiv I, one earlier action, an embedded question and a reported request. Label the source once; then check every pronoun and time word against the situation.
Questions about this topic
Does Konjunktiv II always express doubt in reports?
No. It can replace an indistinct Konjunktiv I. Any distancing interpretation depends on the wider context.
Must morgen always become am nächsten Tag?
No. Keep it if it still identifies the intended day from the reporter’s perspective; otherwise name the day or use a clear relative expression.
Sources and further learning
- IDS grammis: Originaläußerung und indirekte Wiedergabe
- IDS grammis: Konjunktiv
- IDS grammis: Nachfragen und Rückfragen
Source links checked: .
Use this in your German practice
Browse grammar by topic or learning path
Try the examples and answer checks on this page. For a wider routine, explore Lingeva’s grammar, vocabulary and speaking practice. Available app features and plan allowances are explained on the plan page.