Konjunktiv I (Indirekte Rede)

C1 German grammar — Business & Economics. In **reports, memos, and journalism**, indirect speech often uses **Konjunktiv I** to distance from the speaker's own cl…

Open chapter: Wirtschaft

Rule explained

In **reports, memos, and journalism**, indirect speech often uses **Konjunktiv I** to distance from the speaker's own claim (*Der Vorstand **teile** mit, die Zahlen **seien** positiv*). If the **K-I form is identical to the indicative** (e.g. *wir*, many *-en* plurals), use **K-II** or **würde + Infinitiv** for clarity. After **dass** the verb goes to the end; K-I appears on the **dependent** finite verbs (*…, dass er **komme***) — less common in internal chat, still expected in formal **Geschäftsdeutsch**.

Examples

Use these mini-pairs as templates:

• Er sagt, er sei krank. — He says he is ill.
• Sie behauptet, sie habe Recht. — She claims to be right.
• Der Minister sagte, die Lage sei stabil. — The minister said the situation was stable.

Common mistakes

Watch out for these learner errors:

• When K-I = Indicative, switch to K-II (or 'würde + Inf') to keep clarity.
• Don't use 'dass' obligatorily — the Konjunktiv I itself signals reported speech.