Konjunktiv-I-Formen (regelmäßige Verben)

Konjunktiv I – forms

Konjunktiv I is the form of reported (indirect) speech: it reports what someone else said without the speaker committing to it. It is typical of news, reports and formal texts.

It is formed from the stem of the infinitive + fixed endings:

Note:

• The most important form is er/sie/es (…, er sage) – here Konjunktiv I clearly differs from the indicative (er sagt).
• For "ich, wir, sie/Sie" the form is often identical to the indicative → then use the substitute form (see lesson 3).

Word order in reported speech

After a verb of saying (sagen, erklären, berichten …) the Konjunktiv-I clause follows – with or without "dass":

• without "dass": Er sagt, er komme morgen. (verb in position 2)
• with "dass": Er sagt, dass er morgen komme. (verb at the end)

Common mistakes

• ❌ Er sagt, er kommt morgen. (indicative) → ✅ Er sagt, er komme morgen. (Konjunktiv I)
• ❌ …, er kommet → ✅ …, er komme (only -e, no extra -t).

Examples:

• Der Minister sagt, er komme morgen. (The minister says he is coming tomorrow.)
• Sie erklärt, sie arbeite an dem Projekt. (She explains that she is working on the project.)
• Man berichtet, die Firma plane neue Stellen. (It is reported that the company is planning new jobs.)
• Der Zeuge sagt, er sehe den Mann zum ersten Mal. (The witness says he is seeing the man for the first time.)