Konjunktiv I for Indirect Speech - Present Tense

This grammar works by creating distance. When you use the normal Indikativ, you are stating a fact. "He is at home" sounds like you know it for sure. But "He says he be at home" (in German) sounds like you are just repeating him. It is all about the source of the information. You use it to report speech, thoughts, or even rumors. In English, we often just use the word "that" or change the tone of our voice. German uses a special verb form. It is very logical once you see the pattern. It is like a grammar traffic light. Green means you are sure. Yellow (Konjunktiv I) means you are just passing the message along. It keeps your sentences clean and professional. You will mostly use this for the third person (he, she, it, they). That is where it is most useful in the real world.

1. 1Creating the Konjunktiv I is like building a Lego set. You just need the right pieces. Follow these simple steps:
2. 2Start with the Infinitive of the verb (the "to" form like kommen).
3. 3Remove the -en ending to find the stem. For kommen, the stem is komm-.
4. 4Add the special Konjunktiv I endings to the stem.
5. 5The endings are: -e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en.
6. 6Let's look at er/sie/es. The ending is -e. So, er komme.
7. 7The most important verb is sein. It is a bit of a rebel. It becomes: ich sei, du seiest, er sei, wir seien, ihr seiet, sie seien.
8. 8For most other verbs, the ich, wir, and sie (plural) forms look exactly like the normal present tense. Because that is confusing, Germans often use Konjunktiv II instead for those specific people. But for er, sie, and es, the Konjunktiv I is unique and perfect!

You should use Konjunktiv I when you want to sound objective. Use it in these real-world scenarios:

• News Reporting: "The police say the thief sei in prison."
• Office Communication: "The boss says the meeting beginne at nine."
• Repeating Instructions: "The chef says the soup brauche more salt."
• Summarizing Books: "The author writes that the hero lebe in Berlin."
• Job Interviews: "My old manager says I sei very punctual."

It is your best friend when you want to avoid taking responsibility for a statement. It is the ultimate "don't shoot the messenger" tool. If you use it while gossiping, you might sound a bit like a newspaper, which can be a funny way to tease your friends!

Do not use Konjunktiv I if you are talking about yourself and your own facts. If you are hungry, just say Ich habe Hunger. Don't use it for things that are 100% true and undisputed. "Water boils at 100 degrees" does not need this tense. Also, avoid it in very casual, messy conversations with close friends. If you tell your best friend Er sei müde while eating pizza, they might think you have been reading too many newspapers. In casual German, people usually just use Indikativ (the normal tense) and the word dass (that). Save the Konjunktiv I for when you want to impress someone with your precision or when you are writing a formal report.

The biggest mistake is forgetting the -e ending for the third person. People often say Er sagt, er hat Zeit instead of Er sagt, er habe Zeit. While people will understand you, the second one is much more elegant. Another mistake is using the wrong form of sein. Remember, er ist becomes er sei. It is short and sweet. Don't mix it up with Konjunktiv II (like wäre). Konjunktiv I is for reporting; Konjunktiv II is for wishing. Think of Konjunktiv I as the "Reporter Tense" and Konjunktiv II as the "Dreamer Tense." Also, don't try to use it for every single person in a sentence. Focus on the third person singular (er/sie/es) first. That is where 90% of the action happens.

Let's compare three ways to say the same thing.

1. 1Indikativ (The Fact): Er ist krank. (He is sick. I know this for sure.)
2. 2Konjunktiv I (The Report): Man sagt, er sei krank. (They say he is sick. I am just telling you what I heard.)
3. 3Konjunktiv II (The Possibility): Er wäre gern krank. (He would like to be sick. He is dreaming of a day off.)

See the difference? Indikativ is a straight line. Konjunktiv I is a dotted line (it comes from someone else). Konjunktiv II is a cloud (it is not real). In English, we don't have a perfect match for Konjunktiv I anymore, so we use phrases like "is said to be" or "supposedly."