Subjunctive I

The Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I) in German is primarily used for indirect speech (reported speech) and formal wishes or requests. It allows speakers to report what someone else said without claiming the statement as their own direct observation.

This is different from the usual “indicative mood”, which states facts directly → the Subjunctive I creates distance between the speaker and the reported information, indicating that the speaker is merely conveying someone else's statement without vouching for its truth.

Indicative: Er ist krank. (He is sick.) — stating a fact

Subjunctive I: Er sagt, er sei krank. (He says he is sick.) — reporting what he said

Main Uses

Indirect speech: Reporting what someone else has said

Direct: Er sagt: "Ich bin müde." (He says: "I am tired.")
Indirect: Er sagt, dass er müde sei. (He says that he is tired.)

Formal wishes and instructions: Particularly in recipes, manuals, and official documents

Man nehme zwei Eier. (One should take two eggs.)
Es lebe die Freiheit! (Long live freedom!)

Set phrases and expressions:

Gott sei Dank! (Thank God!)
Dem sei, wie ihm wolle. (Be that as it may.)

Formation of Subjunctive I

The Subjunctive I is formed using the infinitive stem of the verb plus specific endings.

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Fortunately, Subjunctive I endings are the same for both regular and irregular verbs!

Present Tense Subjunctive I

Formation Pattern: infinitive stem + subjunctive endings

Pronoun	Ending	Example (sagen - to say)	Example (haben - to have)	Example (sein - to be)
ich	-e	sage	habe	sei
du	-est	sagest	habest	seiest
er/sie/es	-e	sage	habe	sei
wir	-en	sagen	haben	seien
ihr	-et	saget	habet	seiet
sie/Sie	-en	sagen	haben	seien

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Important: The verb sein is the only verb whose Subjunctive I forms are completely different from the present indicative in all persons. This is why sein is the most commonly used verb in Subjunctive I for indirect speech.

When Forms Are Identical to Indicative

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A challenge with Subjunctive I is that many forms are identical to the present indicative. When this happens, Subjunctive II is used instead to clearly indicate indirect speech.

Example with sagen:

Indicative: wir sagen = Subjunctive I: wir sagen (identical)

Solution: Use Subjunctive II instead → wir sagten

Example:

Die Nachbarn sagten: "Wir kommen morgen vorbei." → Die Nachbarn sagten, sie kämen morgen vorbei.

This is why the third-person singular (er/sie/es) is the most commonly used form of Subjunctive I — it's almost always distinct from the indicative.

Indirect Speech (Reported Speech)

The primary use of Subjunctive I is in indirect speech, especially in news reporting, formal writing, and academic contexts.

Structure of Indirect Speech

Indirect speech typically follows this pattern:

Reporting verb + dass + subject + verb (Subjunctive I)

Or: Reporting verb + comma + subject + verb (Subjunctive I) (without dass)

With dass:

Direct: Maria sagt: "Ich bin krank."

Indirect: Maria sagt, dass sie krank sei. (Maria says that she is sick.)

Without dass (more common in journalism):

Direct: Der Minister sagte: "Wir haben einen Plan."

Indirect: Der Minister sagte, sie hätten einen Plan. (The minister said they had a plan.)

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Note:

In the last example, hätten (Subjunctive II) is used instead of haben (Subjunctive I).

This is because sie haben in Subjunctive I would be identical to the indicative form (see rule mentioned above).

Converting Questions to Indirect Speech

When reporting yes/no questions, use ob (whether/if):

Direct: Er fragt: "Bist du fertig?"

Indirect: Er fragt, ob ich fertig sei. (He asks whether I am finished.)

For question-word questions, use the question word itself:

Direct: Sie fragt: "Wo wohnst du?"

Indirect: Sie fragt, wo ich wohne. (She asks where I live.)

Converting Commands to Indirect Speech

To report commands, use sollen in Subjunctive I:

Direct: Der Lehrer sagt: "Macht eure Hausaufgaben!"

Indirect: Der Lehrer sagt, wir sollen unsere Hausaufgaben machen. (The teacher says we should do our homework.)