Reported Speech in German

In speaking, many Germans merely use the indicative mood to report what is being said or asked. Change the following sentences from direct discourse into indirekt discourse. Remember to use “daß” for statements, “ob” for yes/no questions, and the appropriate question word (was, wann, etc) for other questions.

When reporting what WAS said (rather than what someone IS SAYING), most Germans use a form of the subjunctive.

Remove the -en from the infinitive and add weak verb simple past endings:

ich habe

du habest

er/sie/es habe

wir haben

ihr habet

Sie haben

It omits the first and third person singular -e:

ich sei

du sei(e)st

er/sie/es sei

wir seien

ihr seiet

sie/Sie seien

Easy to form

Essential to use in essays - don't quote directly