Reported Speech (Indirekte Rede)
Reported (indirect) speech relays what someone else said without quoting them directly. Formal and written German (news, reports) marks it with Konjunktiv I — "Er sagt, er sei müde" — which signals "these are their words, not mine". Everyday spoken German usually just uses the indicative with dass: "Er sagt, dass er müde ist." Reporting also shifts pronouns and, often, tenses, exactly as in English.
Two registers: Konjunktiv I vs. dass + indicative
Both are correct; they differ in register. Konjunktiv I (subjunctive I) is the mark of neutral, distanced reporting in journalism and formal writing. In everyday conversation, most speakers use a dass-clause with the normal indicative, or drop dass and keep verb-second order.
Er sagt, er sei krank.
He says he is ill.
Formal: Konjunktiv I "sei".
Er sagt, dass er krank ist.
He says that he is ill.
Everyday: dass + indicative, verb to the end.
Er sagt, er ist krank.
He says he is ill.
Everyday: no dass, verb stays 2nd.
Konjunktiv I of the key verbs
Konjunktiv I is built from the infinitive stem + endings (-e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en). The single most important form is sein, which is irregular and very common in reporting.
| Verb | er/sie/es (Konj. I) | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sein | sei | Sie sei zu Hause. |
| haben | habe | Er habe keine Zeit. |
| werden | werde | Es werde besser. |
| sagen | sage | Sie sage nichts dazu. |
When Konjunktiv I looks like the indicative, use Konjunktiv II
In many forms — especially the plural — Konjunktiv I is identical to the normal present (e.g. "sie haben"). To keep the reporting signal clear, German substitutes Konjunktiv II (or the würde-form) in those cases: "Sie sagen, sie hätten keine Zeit" instead of the ambiguous "sie haben".
Sie sagen, sie hätten keine Zeit.
They say they have no time.
Konj. I "haben" = indicative, so Konj. II "hätten" is used.
Er meint, sie würden bald kommen.
He thinks they will come soon.
würde-form as the clear substitute.
Pronoun and tense shifts
As you report, pronouns move from the speaker's perspective to yours ("ich" → "er/sie"), and time references may shift. German reported speech has no separate past tense forms the way English does; instead Konjunktiv I of the perfect ("er habe … gemacht") reports a past statement.
Direkt: "Ich bin müde." → Er sagt, er sei müde.
Direct: "I am tired." → He says he is tired.
ich → er.
Direkt: "Ich habe angerufen." → Sie sagt, sie habe angerufen.
Direct: "I called." → She says she called.
Past → Konj. I perfect "habe angerufen".
Examples
Die Regierung erklärt, die Lage sei stabil.
The government states that the situation is stable.
Formal Konjunktiv I.
Meine Mutter sagt, dass sie später kommt.
My mother says (that) she is coming later.
Everyday dass + indicative.
Er behauptet, er habe nichts gewusst.
He claims he knew nothing.
Konjunktiv I perfect for a past claim.
| Direct speech | Reported (formal, Konj. I) | Reported (everyday) |
|---|---|---|
| "Ich bin müde." | Er sagt, er sei müde. | Er sagt, dass er müde ist. |
| "Wir haben Zeit." | Sie sagen, sie hätten Zeit. | Sie sagen, dass sie Zeit haben. |
| "Ich komme morgen." | Er sagt, er komme morgen. | Er sagt, dass er morgen kommt. |
Common mistakes
- Using Konjunktiv II (würde/hätte) where Konjunktiv I is distinct: prefer "er sei" over "er wäre" when "sei" is unambiguous (though "wäre" is widely tolerated in speech).
- Forgetting the verb goes to the end in a dass-clause: "Er sagt, dass er ist müde" ✗ → "…, dass er müde ist" ✓.
- Failing to shift the pronoun: reporting "Ich bin müde" as "Er sagt, ich sei müde" ✗ → "Er sagt, er sei müde" ✓.
- Trying to build a special past-tense form: German reports past statements with Konjunktiv I of the perfect ("er habe gemacht"), not a Präteritum.
- Over-using Konjunktiv I in casual conversation, where dass + indicative sounds far more natural.
Lookup tips
- Register decision first: formal/written → Konjunktiv I; everyday speech → dass + indicative.
- Learn "sei" cold — it is the workhorse of reported speech and irregular.
- Rule of thumb for the substitute: if the Konjunktiv I form is identical to the plain present, switch to Konjunktiv II or the würde-form to keep the reporting signal.
Frequently asked questions
Do I really need Konjunktiv I in conversation?
Rarely. Most native speakers report speech with "dass" + the indicative in daily life. Konjunktiv I is essential for reading and writing formal German — news reports lean on it heavily — so learn to recognize it even if you seldom produce it.
Why "er sei" and not "er ist"?
"sei" is Konjunktiv I of sein. It flags that you are relaying someone else's claim without vouching for it. "er ist" (indicative) would state it as fact in your own voice.
How do I report a question?
Use an indirect question with "ob" for yes/no ("Er fragt, ob ich komme") or the question word for W-questions ("Sie fragt, wann der Zug fährt") — verb to the end in both.