Questions tagged [indirect-speech]

a report of what someone has said which does not reproduce the exact words

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Subjunctive combined with “als”

In another question recently asked here, there was an als sentence as a subclause of indirect speech. The question was whether to use subjunctive or preterite and the only answer there stated that the ...
Emanuel's user avatar
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11 votes
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"Konjunktiv I" vs. 'sagen, dass' in reported speech

I was taught in my German course that we use Konjunktiv I as a form of reported speech, to say something that someone already said. However, I usually use the verb sagen plus dass. Der Politiker hat ...
Badger Cat's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
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Subclauses in reported speech: subjunctive or indikative?

The question is on the highlighted verb in this quote from Rotkäppchen. Es wird auch erzählt, dass einmal, als Rotkäppchen der alten Großmutter wieder Gebackenes brachte, ein anderer Wolf es ...
Catomic's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
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When speaking about oneself, should Konjunktiv I or Indikativ be used?

I was reading about the use of Konjunktiv I, and read that it is really only used by reporters. However, this got me thinking, if I were a reporter, and I were talking about something I said, would ...
Dustin's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
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Can the verb come first when there's no subordinate clause?

I sometimes get confused when I read sentences like this: Die Menschen dort sind sehr freundlich, habe ich gehört. Es war eine Karnevalssitzung, erklärte mir einer der Ärzte. Aber es gibt Arbeit hier,...
Steve's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
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Translation of indirect speech in English

Direct speech: Kurt hat mir am Telefon gesagt: »Wir unternehmen einen Ausflug.« Indirect speech: Kurt hat mir am Telefon gesagt, er unternehme einen Ausflug. Kurt hat mir am Telefon gesagt, ...
Tgth's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
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“Seltsam sei es…”: Indirekte Rede?

Ich bin dabei, den Roman „Die Vermessung der Welt“ zu lesen, und der Dialog geht so: Seltsam sei es und ungerecht, sagte Gauß, so recht ein Beispiel für die erbärmliche Existenz … Wieso ist es „sei“?...
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Why isn't the verb subjunctive in this indirect statement?

The opening sentence of Aschenputtel reads, Einem reichen Manne, dem wurde seine Frau krank, und als sie fühlte, daß ihr Ende herankam, rief sie ihr einziges Töchterlein zu sich ans Bett und sprach: ....
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2 votes
2 answers
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zum Schweigen gebracht werden

I just read the following article: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/nawalny-urteil-108.html And I cannot figure out why Navalny would declare that he "solle zum Schweigen gebracht werden&...
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German tenses and equivalents of them

I am looking for the equivalents of these structure in English, i don't know when to combine these tenses and why. 1.Perfekt + Passiv + Konjunktiv 1 2.Perfekt + Konjunktiv 1 For example the sentence ...
iamshimye's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
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Konjunktiv in Quotations

When giving direct quotations from an individual as actual quotes, does one use the Konjunktiv or the indicative form of verbs. For example, (in a situation where the judge has decided (and believes) ...
Maxime LaCombe's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
184 views

Indirect speech

In the "Hammer" grammar book, the indirect speech form for „Sie wissen es“ is "Er sagte, sie wüssten es". But when I type in "He said they knew it" on Google Translate, I ...
user20396712's user avatar
0 votes
4 answers
2k views

Indirect speech in this context

If I want to say, I told you I was proud of you, what do I say? Ich sagte dir, dass ich auf dich stolz sei. Ich sagte dir, dass ich auf dich stolz wäre.
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