Mastering Reported Speech in German: A Comprehensive Guide

Reported speech – known in German as indirekte Rede – is a crucial skill for advanced learners. It allows you to convey what someone else said without quoting them directly, often by using a special subjunctive mood called Konjunktiv I. Mastering this will not only make your German sound more sophisticated (it’s frequently used in news reports and academic writing), but it’s also highly relevant for A-Level and proficiency exams from B2 onwards. In this guide, we’ll break down when and how to use reported speech in German, covering grammar rules, word order changes, examples in all key tenses, Konjunktiv I vs. Konjunktiv II, common mistakes, and A-Level exam tips. By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to handle indirect speech with confidence – and we’ll also show how Olesen Tuition can help you practise and perfect this skill through our lessons and courses.

How and when to use reported speech in German?

Learn German Online with Top-Rated Tutors

Table of Contents

• What is Reported Speech (Indirekte Rede)?

• Grammar Rules: Using Konjunktiv I for Indirect Speech

• Word Order in Reported Speech Clauses

• Reported Speech Across Tenses

• Konjunktiv I vs. Konjunktiv II: When to Use Reported Speech

• Common Mistakes in Reported Speech and How to Avoid Them

• German Exam Tips

• Mastering Reported Speech with Olesen Tuition

What is Reported Speech (Indirekte Rede)?

Reported speech is used to report opinions, statements, or questions made by another person, without quoting their exact words. In English, we often introduce reported speech with “that” (e.g. He said that he was tired). German has a similar concept but uses the subjunctive mood to signal that the information is being reported second-hand. This subtle shift conveys a neutral, objective tone – which is why you’ll commonly see it in newspaper articles and reports, where journalists want to distance themselves from the statement and just relay what was said.

Direct speech (direkte Rede) uses the speaker’s exact words in quotation marks, e.g. Er sagte: „Ich bin müde.“ (He said: “I am tired.”). In indirect speech, we drop the quotes and typically adjust the pronouns, verbs, and sometimes time expressions. For example, Er sagte, er sei müde (He said he is tired). Notice the verb form sei – that’s the subjunctive, indicating this is a reported statement, not a direct claim of fact. German often omits the equivalent of “that” (“dass”) in these sentences, especially in formal writing. So, both of the following are correct for indirect speech in German:

• Er sagte, dass er müde ist. (using dass with an indicative verb – acceptable, but less formal)

• Er sagte, er sei müde. (using subjunctive without dass – more formal/reported style)

The second version with sei is the classic indirekte Rede construction and the focus of this guide.

Grammar Rules: Using Konjunktiv I for Indirect Speech

In German, Konjunktiv I (Subjunctive I) is the go-to mood for reported speech. This verb form is distinct from the normal indicative forms we use for statements of fact. Here are the key points to understand:

• Formation of Konjunktiv I: For most verbs, Konjunktiv I is formed from the verb’s infinitive stem + special endings (-e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en). For example, kommen (to come) becomes ich komme, du kommest, er/sie komme, wir kommen, ihr kommet, sie kommen in Konjunktiv I. Notice that some forms (like ich komme, wir kommen, sie kommen) look identical to the present indicative. This is important – we’ll address it in a moment.

• Common verbs in Konjunktiv I: Some of the most frequently used verbs in reported speech have irregular or noteworthy forms:

  • sein (to be): ich sei, du seiest, er/sie sei, wir seien, ihr seiet, sie seien. (These forms are unique, which is helpful since “sein” is very common in indirect speech.)

  • haben (to have): ich habe, du habest, er habe, wir haben, ihr habet, sie hätten. (Notice ich habe, wir haben, sie haben are identical to normal present; we avoid those in favor of Konjunktiv II when needed – see below.)

  • werden (to become / will): ich werde, du werdest, er werde, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie werden. (Again, some forms match the indicative – we’ll use würde substitutes where necessary.)

  • Modal verbs:

    • können: ich könne, du könnest, er könne, wir können (→ wir könnten if needed), ihr könnet, sie können (→ sie könnten if needed).

    • müssen: ich müsse, du müssest, er müsse, wir müssen (→ wir müssten), etc.

    • sollen: ich solle, du sollest, er solle, wir sollen (→ wir sollten), etc.

    • wollen: ich wolle, du wollest, er wolle, etc.

    • dürfen: ich dürfe, du dürfest, er dürfe, etc.

    Modal verbs in Konjunktiv I generally follow the same pattern – and like other verbs, for “wir” and “sie” forms, Konjunktiv I often looks like indicative, so be mindful of those (use Konjunktiv II if needed for clarity).

The table below shows the present tense form of the Konjunktiv I. If the Konjunktiv I form happens to be the same as the original form of the verb (Indikativ), you have to use the Konjunktiv II. This is normally the case in the ich, wir or sie forms of the verb, so first person singular, as well as first and third person plural.

strong verb	weak verb	verb with -e	modal verb	auxiliary verb	werden	sein
(ich komme) ich käme	(ich mache) ich machte	(ich arbeite) ich arbeitete	ich könne	(ich habe) ich hätte	(ich werde) ich würde	ich sei
du kommest	du machest	​du arbeitest	du könnest	du habest	du werdest	du sei(e)st
er/sie/es komme	er/sie/es mache	er/sie/es arbeite	er/sie/es könne	er/sie/es habe	er/sie/es werde	er/sie/es sei
(wir kommen) wir kämen	(wir machen) wir machten	(wir arbeiten) wir arbeiteten	(wir können) wir könnten	(wir haben) wir hätten	(wir werden) wir würden	wir seien
ihr kommet	ihr machet	ihr arbeitet	ihr könnet	ihr habet	(ihr werdet) ihr würdet	ihr seiet
(sie/Sie kommen) sie kämen	(sie/Sie machen) sie/Sie machten	(sie/Sie arbeiten) sie/Sie arbeiteten	(sie/Sie können) sie/Sie könnten	(sie/Sie haben) sie hätten	(sie/Sie werden) sie/Sie würden	sie/Sie seien

When the forms look identical to indicative… use Konjunktiv II: As hinted, the rule of thumb is that if a Konjunktiv I form is identical to the normal present tense form, Germans switch to Konjunktiv II for that part of the sentence to avoid confusion. This typically affects 1st person (ich) and 1st/3rd person plural (wir, sie) forms. For example:

• Direct: „Ich komme heute nicht.“ (I’m not coming today.) Reported: Er sagt, er käme heute nicht. – Her,e “käme” (Konjunktiv II of kommen) is used instead of “komme”, because “ich komme” in Konjunktiv I would be identical to the indicative and thus ambiguous.

• Direct: „Wir haben den Zug verpasst.“ (We missed the train.) Reported: Sie erklärte, sie hätten den Zug verpasst. – “hätten” (Konjunktiv II of haben) replaces “haben” to make clear this is reported speech.

• Direct: „Sie arbeiten zu viel.“ (They work too much.)Reported: Er behauptete, sie würden zu viel arbeiten. – Instead of “sie arbeiteten” (which is Konjunktiv II and looks like a simple past), Germans often use the würde + infinitive construction here. “sie würden arbeiten” avoids confusion with the past tense arbeiteten, keeping the meaning clearly subjunctive (reported).

Style note: The würde-form can be used as an alternative for Konjunktiv II, especially with verbs where the Konjunktiv II form might be mistaken for a past tense or sounds awkward. Using würde + infinitive (as in würden arbeiten) is very common in modern German for hypotheticals, and it can appear in reported speech when needed for clarity.

• No “backshift” of tenses: Unlike English (which often backshifts present to past in reported speech), German usually maintains the original tense in reported speech. The change is in mood (indicative → subjunctive), not in the time frame. For example:

  • Direct: „Ich bin müde.“ (I am tired.)Reported: Er sagte, er sei müde. (He said he is tired.) – Still present tense, but subjunctive mood (sei).

  • Direct: „Ich war gestern krank.“ (I was ill yesterday.)Reported: Sie sagt, sie sei gestern krank gewesen. (She says she was ill yesterday.) – The original is past (war), and we report it using Konjunktiv I Perfekt (sei gewesen), which corresponds to a past subjunctive meaning. Essentially, German uses Perfekt Konjunktiv I to report any past-tense statements (whether the speaker used Perfekt or Präteritum or Plusquamperfekt). The structure is Konjunktiv I of haben/sein + past participle for reported past events.

In practice, Konjunktiv I is most commonly seen in the 3rd person (he/she/they), since we are often reporting someone else’s statements. Indeed, many conjugation tables only actively use the 3rd person singular for indirect speech, because for the 1st person, you’d likely convert to the 3rd person or otherwise. The verb “sein” (with forms like er sei) and modal verbs like müsse, solle, wolle etc. show up a lot in news reports and exam texts, so those are good to memorise.

Word Order in Reported Clauses: With and Without dass

German word order can be tricky for newcomers, and it changes in reported speech depending on how you introduce the clause. You have two main options to construct an indirect statement:

1. Using a “dass” clause: This is similar to English “that”. For example: Er sagt, dass er müde sei. (He says that he is tired.) In a dass-clause, the word order is like any subordinate clause – the conjugated verb goes to the end (here, sei is at the end of the clause). Note that we still use the subjunctive (sei instead of ist). Important: Even though dass can introduce reported speech, in formal contexts German often drops it – see next point.

2. Using a comma and no conjunction (implicit “dass”): German often simply uses a comma and continues the sentence, effectively embedding the reported speech as a subordinate clause without an explicit dass. For example: Er sagt, er sei müde. In this case, what follows the comma is grammatically a subordinate clause, but it looks almost like a main clause because there’s no dass. Here, er is the subject and sei comes immediately after, which might appear to be the second position. So which position is the verb in? In reality, er sei müde is still the reported subordinate clause, but without dass the word order often mirrors a main clause (subject then verb). Think of it as if the dass is “understood”. The key is that we still use the subjunctive (sei). Both forms are correct, though omitting dass is very common in written German and can make the sentence flow more naturally.

In summary, you can say either Er sagt, dass er in die Stadt gehe or Er sagt, er gehe in die Stadt (“He says that he is going into town”), and both mean the same. The version without dass is a bit more stylistically elevated. For A-Level German, it’s good to recognise and be able to produce either structure. If you find the comma method confusing, you won’t be marked down for using dass – just remember to kick the verb to the end in that case (e.g. dass er müde sei, not dass er sei müde).

Note on questions and commands: If the original speech is a question or a command, the word order changes accordingly in the indirect form:

• Indirect questions become subordinate clauses introduced by a question word or ob (if it was a yes/no question). The verb then goes to the end as in any subordinate clause. For example:Direct: „Wann kommst du?“Indirect: Sie fragt, wann ich komme (She asks when I’m coming). Direct: „Kommt er morgen?“Indirect: Sie möchte wissen, ob er morgen komme (She wants to know whether he’s coming tomorrow). Here, wann and ob send the verbs komme to the end. We also switched person (du -> ich, etc.) appropriately.

• Indirect commands (requests or orders) cannot use an imperative form, so German often uses sollen or mögen in Konjunktiv. For example:Direct: „Hilf mir!“ (Help me!) – said to du.Indirect: Er sagt, ich solle ihm helfen (He says I should help him) Direct: „Bitte seien Sie leise!“ (Please be quiet!) – polite Sie-form.Indirect: Die Lehrerin bat die Klasse, sie mögen leise sein (The teacher requested the class be quiet – literally “that they may be quiet”).Or one can rephrase: Die Lehrerin forderte die Schüler auf, leise zu sein (… urged the students to be quiet). Here we used an infinitive construction instead of the subjunctive.

These word order rules might seem complex, but they follow the standard patterns of German syntax: with a conjunction (explicit or understood), the verb goes to the end. Without an explicit conjunction (in the special case of reported speech), we often see a subject–verb order using the subjunctive. Practice tip: Try converting short direct quotes into indirect speech both with and without dass to get comfortable with both structures.

Reported Speech Across Tenses: Examples in Präsens, Vergangenheit, Futur, etc.

One big question is how to report statements made in various tenses. We’ll go through the key tenses – Present, Perfect, Simple Past, and Future – plus modal verbs, with clear examples. The good news is that you largely keep the same tense as originally spoken, just swapping into the subjunctive mood.

Präsens (Present Tense)

If someone speaks in the present tense, we use Konjunktiv I present in the reported clause:

• Direct: „Ich bin in der Stadt.“ (I am in town.) Indirect: Er sagt, er sei in der Stadt. (He says he is in town.) – Here sei is Konjunktiv I of ist. We kept it in present tense.

• Direct: „Es regnet heute.“ (It’s raining today.) Indirect: Sie berichtet, es regne heute. (She reports that it’s raining today.) – regne is Konjunktiv I of regnet. Note we didn’t change “today” because the time frame is the same day; if context shifts (reporting on a different day), you might adjust heute to an jenem Tag (that day), but that’s context-dependent rather than a grammar rule.

Perfekt / Präteritum (Past Tenses)

German often uses either the Perfekt (conversational past) or Präteritum (simple past) in direct speech to talk about the past. Regardless of which was used, indirect speech will typically use the Perfekt form of Konjunktiv I to indicate past:

• Direct (Perfekt): „Ich habe gegessen.“ (I have eaten.)Indirect: Er sagte, er habe gegessen. (He said he had eaten.) – We use habe gegessen (Konjunktiv I of hat gegessen) to report this past event.

• Direct (Präteritum): „Ich ging gestern ins Kino.“ (I went to the cinema yesterday.)Indirect: Sie erzählte, sie sei gestern ins Kino gegangen. (She recounted that she went to the cinema yesterday.) – The direct quote uses ging (simple past). In indirect speech, we use sei ... gegangen (Konjunktiv I form of ist ... gegangen). This sei + participle construction is effectively the past subjunctive (Perfect), and it covers any past context: whether the person said ging, ist gegangen, or even war gegangen (pluperfect), we still report it as sei gegangen.

  (If the speaker’s original sentence was already in Plusquamperfekt, you would also use the perfect subjunctive to report it – there’s no separate “double past” form in Konjunktiv I. Context will usually make the sequence of events clear.)

• Direct: „Wir hatten gewonnen.“ (We had won.) Indirect: Das Team behauptete, sie hätten gewonnen. (The team claimed they had won.) – hätten gewonnen is Konjunktiv II in this case because the Konjunktiv I wir haben would be identical to indicative, so we swap in Konjunktiv II wir hätten. It’s still conveying the past (had won), just with the subjunctive mood.

Summary for past: Use Konjunktiv I Perfekt (habe/sei + Partizip II). If any form is ambiguous (like first/third person plural), use Konjunktiv II Perfekt (hätte/gegessen, wäre/gegangen) to avoid confusion.

Futur I (Future Tense)

German Future I uses werden + infinitive. In reported speech, we put werden into Konjunktiv I:

• Direct: „Ich werde dich morgen anrufen.“ (I will call you tomorrow.) Indirect: Er verspricht, er werde mich morgen anrufen. (He promises he will call me tomorrow.) – werde anrufen is Konjunktiv I (3rd person er werde). We keep morgen (tomorrow) since the time frame is maintained.

• Direct: „Wir werden im Juli nach Deutschland fahren.“ (We will travel to Germany in July.) Indirect: Sie sagen, sie würden im Juli nach Deutschland fahren. (They say they will travel to Germany in July.) – Here we opted for würden fahren because wir werden in Konjunktiv I would be wir werden (same as indicative), and for third person plural sie werden it’s also identical to indicative. So using würden (Konjunktiv II of werden) makes it clearly subjunctive. Both er/sie werde and sie würden translate to “will” in meaning, but the latter is chosen to avoid that ambiguity of form.

*(German also has Futur II for “will have done” – e.g. „Ich werde gegangen sein.“ – which in Konjunktiv I becomes er werde gegangen sein). This is quite rare and would also use Konjunktiv I of werden. A-Level students can recognise it, but it’s unlikely to come up often.)

Modal Verbs in Reported Speech

Modal verbs (like müssen, können, sollen, wollen, dürfen) are frequently used, and in reported speech they follow the same mood change:

• Direct: „Ich muss heute viel arbeiten.“ (I must work a lot today.)I ndirect: Er sagt, er müsse heute viel arbeiten. (He says he has to work a lot today.) – müsse is Konjunktiv I of muss.

• Direct: „Wir können das Problem lösen.“ (We can solve the problem.) Indirect: Sie meinen, sie könnten das Problem lösen. (They reckon they can solve the problem.) – könnten here is actually Konjunktiv II, used because wir können → wir können (Konj. I) would be identical to indicative, so we use wir könnten. It still conveys the present tense ability (“could” in a reported sense meaning “can”).

• Direct: „Ich will nicht gehen.“ (I don’t want to go.)Indirect: Sie sagt, sie wolle nicht gehen. (She says she doesn’t want to go.) – wolle is Konjunktiv I of will. For first/third person singular, it’s distinct (wants → wolle).

• Direct: „Sie sollen zu Hause bleiben.“ (They are supposed to stay at home.)Indirect: Der Arzt erklärte, sie sollten zu Hause bleiben. (The doctor explained that they should stay at home.) – sollten (Konj. II) is used instead of Konj. I sollen for the plural, to avoid the form clash with indicative sollen.

Remember that modal verbs also have a Perfekt (e.g. hat … machen müssen) if used in past statements, which would then be reported with habe/sei + infinitive + modal participle (a bit complex, e.g. Er sagte, er habe viel arbeiten müssen – He said he had had to work a lot). However, a simpler way in speaking/writing is often to just use the Präteritum form in Konjunktiv if possible (er musste viel arbeiten → er habe viel arbeiten müssen). This is an advanced detail; the main thing is to recognise and form the present subjunctive of modals (er könne, sie müsse, er solle, sie wolle, er dürfe etc.), since those appear frequently in indirect statements and questions

Let's finally look at the tenses in the form of a comparison between direct and reported speech. There is only one past tense form of the Konjunktiv I- the Perfect tense with the auxiliary verbs haben or sein.

Tense	Direct speech	​Reported speech
Present tense	„Ich gehe in die Stadt.” „Ich bin bei der Arbeit”	Er sagt(e), er gehe in die Stadt. Er sagt(e), er sei bei der Arbeit.
Perfekt tense	​„Ich bin in die Stadt gegangen.“ „Ich bin bei der Arbeit gewesen.“	Er sagt(e), er sei in die Stadt gegangen. Er sagt(e), er sei bei der Arbeit gewesen.
Präteritum tense	​„Ich ging in die Stadt” „Ich war bei der Arbeit.”	/
Pluperfect tense	„Ich war in die Stadt gegangen.“ „Ich war bei der Arbeit gewesen.“	/
Future I	„Ich werde in die Stadt gehen.“ „Ich werde bei der Arbeit sein.“	Er sagt, er werde in die Stadt gehen. Er sagt, er werde bei der Arbeit sein.
Future II	„Ich werde in die Stadt gegangen sein.“ „Ich werde bei der Arbeit gewesen sein.“	Er sagt, er werde in die Stadt gegangen sein. Er sagt, er werde bei der Arbeit gewesen sein.

Excellent Small German Classes in London and Online

Konjunktiv I vs. Konjunktiv II: When to Use Which in Reported Speech

By now, you’ve seen that both Konjunktiv I and Konjunktiv II can appear in reported speech. The general guidelines are:

• Use Konjunktiv I for reported speech by default, because it’s the form dedicated to indirekte Rede. Whenever the verb form is unambiguous (mostly in 3rd person singular, and 2nd person forms), Konjunktiv I signals a reported statement. Example: Er sagt, er habe keine Zeit.

• Use Konjunktiv II only if the Konjunktiv I form is identical to an indicative form, or sometimes to add a nuance of doubt. We’ve already covered the identical form issue: e.g. wir haben (indicative) vs wir haben (Konj. I) – ambiguous, so use wir hätten. Another example: ich bin sicher: „Ich komme gleich.“ → Reported: Er versicherte, er käme gleich. (not er komme gleich, because komme looks like an indicative “I come”).

• Ambiguity and Clarity: The primary reason to switch to Konjunktiv II is to avoid ambiguity. If a reader/listener might not realise a verb is meant as subjunctive (reported), then using a Konjunktiv II form or würde helps clarify that it’s not just a regular statement. For instance, sie “singen” vs sie “sängen” – singen could be present indicative “they sing” or Konjunktiv I (which happens to be identical for 3rd pl), whereas sängen (Konj. II of singen) can only mean subjunctive. So you’d report “Die Schüler sagen, sie sängen jeden Tag im Chor.” to clearly indicate it’s reported (The students say they sing every day in the choir).

• Expressing doubt or distance: There’s a stylistic use of Konjunktiv II where a speaker or writer intentionally uses it even when not strictly necessary, to signal scepticism about the reported statement. For example, suppose two people make a claim and the reporter believes one but doubts the other. In that case, they might write: „Person A behauptet, er habe nichts gewusst“ (neutral report) vs „Person B behauptet, er hätte nichts gewusst“ – the second using Konjunktiv II (hätte) can imply “the reporter is not convinced that this is true.” This is a subtle stylistic choice (more relevant in journalism or literary contexts than in everyday conversation). At A-level, you won’t be expected to do this, but it’s useful to recognise the nuance: Konjunktiv I = conveying someone said X (neutral), Konjunktiv II = conveying someone said X, but hinting you doubt X. In general, stick to the rule of form-ambiguity for deciding when to use Konjunktiv II, and remember that using Konjunktiv I whenever possible is the safest strategy in exams.

• If in doubt, “dass + indicative” is acceptable: If all this talk of subjunctives is tying you in knots, note that using a dass-clause with normal indicative verbs (Er sagte, dass... hat) is grammatically okay in German, especially in spoken language. Many native speakers do this, as Konjunktiv I can sound formal. However, since this is an A-Level guide, we encourage you to aim for the proper Konjunktiv forms in writing, because it will likely impress examiners. For example, Er sagte, dass er keine Zeit hat is fine, but Er sagte, er habe keine Zeit shows you have mastered the formal style. You won’t usually lose marks for the first version in an exam, but using the subjunctive correctly could earn you credit for complexity and accuracy – especially if a specific exercise is testing this grammar point.

Common Mistakes in German Reported Speech (and How to Avoid Them)

Even confident students can slip up with reported speech. Here are some of the most common mistakes learners make with indirekte Rede – and tips to get them right:

• 1. Using the wrong mood (Indicative instead of Subjunctive): The whole point of reported speech is to switch out of the normal indicative. A common error is to leave the verb unchanged. For example, saying Er sagte, er ist müde (indicative) instead of er sei müde. How to avoid: Learn the key Konjunktiv I forms (especially of sein, haben, and modals) by heart and double-check that you’re not just repeating the original verb form. Remember, a third-person -t ending (like ist, hat) in reported clauses is a red flag – it should almost always be -e (sei, habe). The difference: ist = he is (certain); sei = he is (according to someone).

• 2. Word order mistakes with “dass” or question clauses: Students might say …dass er habe kein Geld or Sie fragte, wann kommt er. The correct versions are dass er kein Geld habe and sie fragte, wann er komme. How to avoid: After you use a conjunction like dass or a question word (wann, ob, warum, etc.), push the conjugated verb to the end of that clause. It might help to literally write out or say the clause on its own: “er habe kein Geld.” – sounds okay in German as a reported clause. “habe er kein Geld” – sounds odd/wrong in this context. Similarly, for indirect questions, remember it’s like reported speech meets question: Direct: „Wann kommt er?“ → Indirect: wann er komme (not wann kommt er). If the direct question is yes/no (e.g. Kommt er?), use ob and then verb-last: ob er komme.

• 3. Not adjusting pronouns and time references: When converting direct speech, you must change pronouns to fit the perspective of the reporter. For instance, „Ich habe heute frei,“ said by Anna, becomes Anna sagte, sie habe heute frei. If you accidentally write Anna sagte, ich habe heute frei, it reads as if you are the one who has the day off, not Anna. Likewise, be mindful of words like “today, tomorrow, yesterday” – if the context shifts, you may need to change heute to an jenem Tag (that day) or morgen to am nächsten Tag (the next day), etc., to keep the meaning clear. How to avoid: Identify all pronouns in the direct quote and determine who they refer to, then use the appropriate third-person pronoun in the reported version. Do a mental check on any time or place words – are you reporting it at a later time or different location? If yes, adjust words like heute, hier accordingly (this is similar to reported speech in English: “today” might become “that day” when reported later).

• 4. Overusing “würde” unnecessarily: While würde + infinitive is useful (especially to replace Konjunktiv II forms that are identical to simple past), some learners start putting würde everywhere. For example, Er sagte, er würde ist müde (incorrect). Remember, würde is the Konjunktiv II of werden and roughly means “would”. You don’t use würde for sein/haben or modal verbs in reported speech unless it’s needed. Er würde müde sein actually translates to “He would be tired” (hypothetically), not a report of “he is tired.” How to avoid: Use würde in reported speech only for future statements or when replacing a problematic Konjunktiv II form, not as a blanket substitute for Konjunktiv I. If the direct speech wasn’t about a conditional or future, you usually won’t need würde except in the special cases we discussed (plural subjects, etc.). When in doubt, try forming Konjunktiv I; if it’s identical to the indicative, then consider würde or a Konjunktiv II form.

• 5. Mixing up Konjunktiv I and II forms: Some students know a few Konjunktiv II (e.g. wäre, hätte) for hypotheticals and accidentally use them in all indirect speech. For example, Er sagte, er wäre krank in a context where we know the original was present “I am ill”. Er wäre krank can actually function as reported speech (especially if er ist would be ambiguous), but if er sei was perfectly fine, using wäre might sound like you’re questioning it. How to avoid: Learn which Konjunktiv I forms are distinct. The big ones: sei (ist), habe (hat), könne (kann), müsse (muss), wolle (will), gehe (geht), etc. Use those whenever possible for a neutral report. Use wäre/hätte only if required (or if you mean a hypothetical). If you find you’ve written an entire indirect statement in Konjunktiv II, double-check if Konjunktiv I was actually available. A quick self-test: try to replace wäre with sei – does it conflict with any rule? If not, sei is likely the better choice for straightforward reported speech.

By watching out for these pitfalls, you can greatly improve the accuracy of your indirect speech. It’s a complex area, but mistakes tend to cluster around the above issues – so addressing them gives you a big advantage.

German Exam Tips: Impressing Examiners with Reported Speech

Now, how does all this play into your German exams? Here are some targeted tips:

• Be aware of exam tasks involving reported speech: Some exam boards explicitly test this. You might encounter a grammar transformation exercise where you have to turn direct quotes into indirect speech or fill in blanks with the correct subjunctive form. For example, converting a prompt like: Er sagte: „Ich habe keine Zeit.“ into Er sagte, er ___ keine Zeit. (you’d fill in habe, with the -e ending). Practice these conversions to get comfortable. Even if there isn’t a dedicated question, using indirekte Rede correctly in a translation or writing task can earn credit. For instance, a translation sentence “The journalist noted that the situation was serious” – if you render “was serious” as „…bemerkte, die Lage sei ernst“, that’s a high-level touch.

• Recognise Konjunktiv I in reading/listening: A-Level texts (especially news articles or formal reports) often contain reported speech. Examiners might test comprehension of it. If you see something like „Die Kanzlerin betonte, die Reform sei notwendig.”, you should understand this means “the reform is necessary (according to her)”, not get thrown off by sei. Being able to interpret sei, habe, würde in context ensures you answer correctly and don’t misinterpret statements as facts when they’re actually reported claims. If a question asks, “What did the article say about X?”, an answer that captures the reported nature (e.g. “it said that X is Y”) shows good comprehension.

• Use reported speech selectively in your writing and speaking: While you “won’t lose marks for not using Konjunktiv I” in an essay or oral, using it appropriately can impress. It shows a command of advanced grammar. For example, in an essay you might write: Der Historiker schreibt, das Ereignis sei ein Wendepunkt in der Geschichte. (The historian writes that the event is a turning point in history.) This is a perfectly deployed indirect speech in a formal academic style – great for a literature review, discussing historians’ or authors’ viewpoints, etc.. In the spoken exam, you might get a chance if, say, you’re discussing what you read in a text or what someone said in a source. Dropping in a …habe gesagt, er habe… could be impressive, but only attempt it if you’re comfortable – accuracy is more important.

• Maintain the person and tense properly: Examiners watch for consistency. If you attempt reported speech, make sure your pronouns are correctly changed and your verbs are consistently in the subjunctive. A half-correct attempt (e.g. mixing indicative and subjunctive or messing up word order) might confuse the meaning. So, it’s better to do a simpler “dass + indicative” structure correctly than a flawed Konjunktiv I sentence. But if you can manage Er behauptet, er habe den besten Aufsatz geschrieben, it will likely be met with approval for its sophistication.

• Practice with past papers or examples: Try rewriting some direct quotes from texts you’ve studied into indirect speech. Also, when writing practice essays, challenge yourself to include one or two sentences of reported speech – perhaps referencing a statistic or quote: Laut dem Autor sei dies ein großes Problem. Your teacher or tutor can give feedback on whether you formed it correctly. Over time, this can become a tool in your toolkit for the exam.

• Know the essential forms by heart: Especially sei, habe, hätte, wäre, würde – these come up a lot. Often reading comprehension questions hinge on you knowing that sei = ist in reported context. If you see wäre in a news report, it might be either a conditional “would be” or a reported “is” (with doubt or required by grammar) – context will tell you which, but you need to recognise it as some form of sein. This is why drilling those forms can pay off.

• Don’t stress if you don’t use it in speech: The truth is, even many educated native speakers don’t use Konjunktiv I in everyday conversation – they might say Er hat gesagt, dass... or just quote directly. So, for your speaking exam, it’s not a must-have. Focus on it more for writing and understanding texts. But do be prepared in case an oral question asks you to relay what someone else said (e.g. Was hat der Autor in der Quelle gesagt? – you might respond: Er hat gesagt, die Situation sei kompliziert).

By following these tips, you’ll handle reported speech in exams with much more confidence. You’ll be able to both comprehend tricky sentences in reading passages and deploy advanced structures in your writing/speaking when appropriate, which can help in achieving those top grades.

Mastering Reported Speech with Olesen Tuition

Tackling Konjunktiv I and reported speech can be challenging, but remember – you’re not alone. Many A-Level students find this topic daunting initially, but with practice, it becomes much easier. If you ever feel stuck or want expert guidance to boost your skills, consider reaching out to Olesen Tuition. We are proud to be the top-rated German language school in London, and we specialise in helping students master complex grammar like this.

What Olesen Tuition offers:

• Private German lessons (one-to-one tutoring) tailored to your needs – perfect for honing specific skills like grammar or writing.

• A-Level German tutoring by experienced tutors who know the exam inside out. We can focus on exam techniques, past paper practice, and the finer points of grammar that impress examiners (yes, even reported speech!).

• Small-group weekly courses that keep you on track throughout the term, reinforcing grammar points in a supportive environment. These are great for steadily building up all aspects of your German – speaking, listening, writing, and grammar – with peers.

• Intensive revision courses during half-terms or holidays, which are ideal if you need to catch up or polish your skills before the exams. Spend a few days intensively working on German – including tricky grammar topics – and see a remarkable improvement in your confidence.

Why choose us? Our track record speaks for itself: 95% of Olesen Tuition’s A-Level students achieved an A* or A in their final exams, and other students scored highly in their Goethe-Institut exams. We believe this comes from a solid foundation in grammar and effective, personalised support. We don’t just drill rules – we show you how to apply them in context (like we did in this guide) and make sure you truly understand the nuances. Whether it’s reported speech, German cases, word order, or any other topic, our tutors can demystify it for you and give you plenty of practice until you feel confident.

Moreover, if you enjoyed this deep dive into German grammar, you’ll love our German language blog "Auf Deutsch, bitte!". It features over 500 grammar and vocabulary posts written by an Oxford-educated native German tutor (our founder, Jens Olesen). The blog covers everything from adjective endings to word order, passive voice, subjunctive II and more – all explained in clear, accessible articles. It’s a fantastic (and free!) resource to supplement your learning. We regularly post new content, including A-Level-specific tips and guides, so it’s worth bookmarking.

Next steps: If reported speech or any other topic still feels tricky, get in touch with us at Olesen Tuition. We can arrange a trial lesson or advise on the best course for you. Mastering these grammar points now will not only help you ace your A-Levels (and impress those examiners with sentences like er habe gesagt…), but will also set you up for using German confidently in the future – be it at university, in your career, or just travelling and having conversations auf Deutsch.

Good luck (✨ Viel Erfolg! ✨) with your study of German reported speech. Mit ein bisschen Übung wird indirekte Rede ganz natürlich – with a bit of practice, indirect speech will feel completely natural. And remember, every challenging grammar concept you conquer is one more tool in your kit to express yourself fluently and impressively in German.

Happy learning – und viel Spaß beim Deutschlernen! If you have any questions or want more help, Olesen Tuition is here to support you every step of the way. 💪🇩🇪

#reportedspeech #indirekterede #konjunktiv1