Indirect Speech Tense Alignment

In English, we often say "He says he is hungry." We often leave out the word "that." In German, you cannot do that. You must use the word dass. This word is a subordinating conjunction. That sounds technical, but it just means it is a "verb kicker." When dass enters the room, the conjugated verb runs to the end. It is like a grammar traffic light. The dass turns the light red for the verb. The verb has to wait at the very end of the sentence. Also, remember the comma! In German, we always put a comma before dass. It separates the person reporting from the message being reported. It is a small mark, but it does a big job.

1. 1Creating these sentences is like building with Lego blocks. Follow these steps to get it right every time:
2. 2Start with the person speaking and a reporting verb. For example: Er sagt (He says).
3. 3Add a comma. This is non-negotiable!
4. 4Add the word dass. This is your bridge.
5. 5Write the reported message, but move the verb to the very end.
6. 6Conjugate that final verb to match the person you are talking about.
7. 7Example: Ich bin hier (I am here) becomes Er sagt, dass er hier ist (He says that he is here). Notice how bin changed to ist and moved to the end. It is a simple swap, but it takes a little practice to make it automatic.

Use this whenever you are not the original source of the info. It is perfect for real-world scenarios. Imagine you are at a restaurant. Your friend says, "Ich möchte Pizza." You tell the waiter: Mein Freund sagt, dass er Pizza möchte. Or imagine a job interview. You want to tell the boss what your old manager thought. Mein Chef sagt, dass ich pünktlich bin. It is also great for asking directions. Der Mann sagt, dass der Bahnhof links ist. It is the ultimate tool for being helpful. It shows you are listening and can process information. Plus, it helps you avoid being blamed if the info is wrong! "Hey, I just said what he told me!"

Do not use this for direct quotes. If you are using quotation marks, keep the verb in its normal spot. For example: Er sagt: "Ich habe Hunger." No dass is needed there. Also, do not use it for simple one-word answers. If someone asks "Are you coming?" and you say "Yes," you don't need a complex dass sentence. Keep it for when you have a full thought to report. Avoid using it if you are unsure who said what. It is better to be direct if the source is fuzzy. Finally, at A1, don't try to report complex past-tense stories yet. Stick to reporting current facts or simple states.

The biggest mistake is the "Verb Trap." Learners often leave the verb in the second position. They say: Er sagt, dass er ist müde. This sounds very "English" and is grammatically wrong in German. The verb ist must go to the end. Another mistake is forgetting the comma. German speakers love their commas. It helps them breathe while reading. Another common slip-up is the pronoun. If Maria says "I am tired," you say "She says she is tired." Don't forget to change ich to sie. If you don't, you might accidentally report that *you* are the tired one! Yes, even native speakers mess this up when they are tired, but you can do better.

At A1, you might confuse dass with das. They sound the same, but they are different. Das is an article (the) or a pronoun (that/this). Dass is the bridge for speech. Think of dass with two 's' letters as being "stronger" because it holds two sentences together. You might also see sentences with weil (because). They follow the same "verb at the end" rule. However, weil gives a reason, while dass reports a fact. Er ist traurig, weil er Hunger hat (He is sad because he is hungry) vs. Er sagt, dass er Hunger hat (He says that he is hungry). Both kick the verb, but they serve different masters.