8

"The news/article/post says ..."

Is it correct to say

(a) Der Spiegel sagt, dass ...

(b) Der Artikel sagt, dass ...

(c) Die (Facebook-)Post sagt, dass ...

or should the verb "sagen" not be used here?

3 Answers 3

8

The most common way to talk about pieces of writing is using the verb "stehen"

In dem Artikel steht, dass...

Auf Seite 3 steht, dass...

Ich habe einen Flyer und da steht, dass...

2
  • Can I also say "Auf dem (Facebook-)Post steht, dass ..."?
    – boaten
    Apr 25, 2014 at 0:27
  • 2
    @boaten: "In dem Post steht, dass..." would be more correct. Basically, if you have to open it, stuff is written in it (think letters/'Briefe'). Apr 25, 2014 at 7:22
5

In my opinion, it is not inherently wrong to use "sagen" as in your examples, however, it sounds a bit strange to me since "sagen" is commonly used in conjunction with real persons:

Der Autor des Artikels sagt, dass
Der Spiegel-Autor Max Mustermann sagt, dass

Nevertheless, you can sometimes see "Die Bild sagt" in headlines, but usually not in texts of higher level.

In contrast, the verbs "aussagen" and "besagen"* do work with things. Note that both have slightly different meanings though!

(b) Der Artikel sagt aus, dass
(b) The article declares/states that

(c) Der (Facebook-)Post besagt, dass
(c) The (facebook) post indicates that

Note: it is der Post (with an English pronunciation) if meant as a contribution or a post on a website.


*) The same also applies to "absagen".

4

I'd like to suggest a more formal alternative

Laut X

literally according to X. You don't have to use it every time but it's handy to mix things up. Laut is usually used in reference to a scientist or study or something similar.

1
  • Please consider to mention the case needed for X, where you can choose between genitive and dative. Mar 20, 2015 at 7:37

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.