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Konjunktiv I often marks indirect speech: ‘Sie sagt, er sei krank’. It reports a claim without presenting it as the speaker’s own statement.
MOOD · B2–C1
Konjunktiv 1: Report what someone said.
Recognise sei, habe and komme in reported speech. Learn why German journalism uses Konjunktiv I to attribute a statement.
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THE SHORT VERSION
Konjunktiv 1, made clear.
Start with these three ideas. Then test them in real German sentences.
Learn the visible forms
The third-person singular forms are especially useful: ‘er sei’, ‘sie habe’, ‘Anna komme’. They differ clearly from ‘ist’, ‘hat’ and ‘kommt’.
Know the fallback
When a Konjunktiv-I form looks the same as the indicative, German may use Konjunktiv II or a würde-form to make the reporting signal clear.
SEE THE DIFFERENCE
Sie sagt, er ist krank. → Indicative: plain reported content in everyday speech.
Sie sagt, er sei krank. → Konjunktiv I: explicitly marks indirect speech.
Konjunktiv I is especially common in formal writing and news reports.A CLOSER LOOK
Report a claim without adopting it
Konjunktiv I is especially useful in formal reported speech and journalism. It signals that someone else said or claimed the information.
Compare reported and direct speech
| Verb | Indicative | Konjunktiv I |
|---|---|---|
| sein | er ist | er sei |
| haben | sie hat | sie habe |
| kommen | er kommt | er komme |
| wohnen | sie wohnt | sie wohne |
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When the forms look alike
In some persons, a Konjunktiv-I form is identical to the indicative. Writers may then use a distinct Konjunktiv-II form to keep the reporting signal visible. In everyday conversation, speakers often use indicative with “dass” instead; the formal lesson focuses on recognizing and forming Konjunktiv I.
Try this: “Sie sagt, er sei krank” reports her statement; it does not assert the illness as the writer’s own fact.
For a fuller reference, see the Goethe-Institut German grammar overview ↗.
YOUR KONJUNKTIV 1 CHALLENGE
Six sentences.
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LEVEL 10 / 6 correct first try
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Konjunktiv 1, without the confusion.
What is Konjunktiv I used for?
Its main use is indirect or reported speech: ‘Er sagt, er sei müde’.
Is it the same as Konjunktiv II?
No. Konjunktiv I mainly marks reported speech; Konjunktiv II often expresses hypothetical situations or polite requests.
Why do I see hätte in reported speech?
If a Konjunktiv-I form is identical to the indicative, a Konjunktiv-II form such as ‘hätte’ can make the distinction visible.