german_sentence_builder

The auxiliaries sein (to be), haben (to have), and werden (shall, will) play an important role
in tense formation. Let’s look at their subjunctive I and II conjugations:
SEIN HaBEN WErden
ich sei wäre habe hätte werde würde
du seiest wärest habest hättest werdest würdest
er sei wäre habe hätte werde würde
wir seien wären haben hätten werden würden
ihr seiet wäret habet hättet werdet würdet
sie seien wären haben hätten werden würden
Indirect discourse
Indirect discourse is the retelling of what someone else has said or asked. In spoken German, there
is a tendency to use a subjunctive II conjugation in indirect discourse:
Er sagte, dass Frau Schmidt krank wäre.
He said that Ms. Schmidt was sick.
But in written German, sentences in indirect discourse more frequently conjugate verbs in
subjunctive I:
Er sagte, dass Frau Schmidt krank sei.
He said that Ms. Schmidt was sick.
This use of the subjunctive I and subjunctive II conjugations occurs with both indirect discourse
and indirect questions. For example:
Der Redner sagte, dass der globale
Temperaturanstieg noch ein
Problem sei.
Die Zeitung berichtete, dass der
Präsident nach Berlin fliegen werde.
Herr Benz fragte, ob ihre Mannschaft
gewonnen habe.
sagen 1 dass 1 subjunctive I verb indirect discourse
fragen 1 ob 1 subjunctive I verb indirect question
The speaker said that global warming was still
a problem.
The newspaper reported that the president
would fly to Berlin.
Mr. Benz asked whether their team had won.
When the subjunctive I conjugation is identical to the indicative present tense (for the verb
haben, for instance, where the subjunctive I, wir haben, is identical to the indicative, wir haben),
use the subjunctive II conjugation (wir hätten) in place of the subjunctive I conjugation. For
example:
Karl erzählte, dass die Kinder im Garten
(spielen) spielten.
Sie fragte, ob sie genug Geld (haben)
hätten.
Karl said that the children were playing in
the garden.
She asked whether they had enough money.
Use ob (whether, if) to introduce indirect discourse questions that can be answered with ja
or nein:
Kann er verstehen? (Ja, er kann verstehen.)
Erik fragte, ob er verstehen könne.
Can he understand? (Yes, he can understand.)
Erik asked whether he could understand.
If a question is posed using an interrogative word, that interrogative word becomes the conjunction
in indirect discourse and a subjunctive I conjugation is required. For example:
The subjunctive mood 135