In German, indirect speech is used to report what someone else has said, without quoting them word for word. This form is very common in news, literature, formal writing, and situations where someone is summarizing or relaying information. Indirect speech in German often uses a specific verb form called the Konjunktiv, which is a type of subjunctive mood. The Konjunktiv I is usually preferred, though sometimes Konjunktiv II is used, depending on the context.
Indirect speech exists in English too, though we don’t use special verb forms like in German. In English, we simply change the sentence structure. For example, if someone says “I am going to the store,” in indirect speech, we would say “He said he was going to the store.” Notice how “am” changes to “was.” German works similarly, but the way verbs change is more specific.
In German, there are different rules for forming indirect speech. First, the Konjunktiv I form is commonly used. This verb form is created by taking the infinitive of a verb (the base form of the verb) and changing the ending. For example, the verb “kommen” (to come) becomes “er komme” in the third person when using Konjunktiv I.
Let’s break down an example:
- If someone says, “Ich komme morgen” (I am coming tomorrow), in indirect speech it becomes “Er sagt, er komme morgen” (He says he is coming tomorrow).
Here, “komme” is the Konjunktiv I form of “kommen.” Notice how in German, the sentence changes slightly with the verb (er komme instead of er kommt), marking it as indirect speech. This is important because it shows the speaker is reporting someone else’s words, not confirming them.
In cases where the Konjunktiv I form looks the same as the regular present tense, German uses Konjunktiv II to avoid confusion. For instance, the verb "haben" (to have) in the third person is “er hat” in both the present tense and Konjunktiv I. To make it clear that we are using indirect speech, we switch to Konjunktiv II (“er hätte”).
So, if someone says, “Ich habe kein Geld” (I have no money), the indirect speech would be:
- “Er sagt, er hätte kein Geld” (He says he has no money).
This switch to Konjunktiv II is not just a casual or colloquial usage; it is part of proper formal German when the forms overlap. This helps to maintain clarity in indirect speech.
Indirect speech also works in the past tense. In this case, you use the Konjunktiv I form of the auxiliary verbs "haben" (to have) or "sein" (to be) along with the past participle of the main verb. For example, if someone says “Ich habe das Buch gelesen” (I have read the book), the indirect speech form would be:
- “Er sagt, er habe das Buch gelesen” (He says he has read the book).
Here, "habe" is the Konjunktiv I form of “haben,” and "gelesen" is the past participle of “lesen” (to read).
Modal verbs, which express ability or possibility, also follow this pattern in indirect speech. For instance, if someone says “Ich kann Deutsch sprechen” (I can speak German), the indirect speech form would be:
- “Er sagt, er könne Deutsch sprechen” (He says he can speak German).
In this example, "könne" is the Konjunktiv I form of “können” (can).
In casual spoken German, people often use the indicative form (the regular present or past tense) instead of the Konjunktiv for indirect speech. While this is understandable in informal conversations, it can sometimes cause confusion because the sentence no longer clearly shows that the speech is being reported. For instance, “Er sagt, er kommt” (He says he is coming) could be understood either as indirect speech or simply as a statement of fact, depending on the context.