Omission of "dass" in Indirect Speech

Let's look at the machinery under the hood of this rule. When you use dass, it acts like a heavy wall. It forces the conjugated verb to the very back of the room. This is what we call "subordinate clause" word order. It can be quite a mental workout to remember to push that verb to the end. However, when you remove the wall (dass), the room opens up. The verb is suddenly happy and gains confidence. It moves back to its favorite spot: position two. This is the normal spot for verbs in a standard German sentence. When you omit dass, you are essentially joining two independent sentences together with just a comma. It is like two friends standing side by side. They don't change their clothes or their positions; they just hang out together. This makes the sentence flow much faster and feels more direct.

1. 1Creating this structure is as easy as making a sandwich. Just follow these steps:
2. 2Start with your main clause. This usually involves a "reporting" verb like sagen (to say) or glauben (to believe).
3. 3Add a comma. This is your "breathing point" and it is mandatory in German.
4. 4Drop the word dass entirely. Just let it go!
5. 5Write the second part of the sentence exactly like a normal, basic sentence.
6. 6Put the subject first in this second part.
7. 7Put the conjugated verb in the second position.
8. 8Example: Standard is Ich hoffe, dass er kommt. The shortcut is Ich hoffe, er kommt.
9. 9It is that simple. You are just stacking two normal sentences together with a comma in the middle.

You should use this shortcut in almost every everyday situation. Are you at a restaurant ordering food? Tell your friend what the waiter said: Er sagt, die Suppe ist lecker. Are you at a train station asking for directions? You can say Ich glaube, der Zug hat Verspätung. It is perfect for sharing opinions, reporting news, or just chatting with friends. It works best with verbs of thinking, feeling, and saying. Think of it as your "casual mode". It is the language of the streets, the language of text messages, and the language of coffee dates. It makes your German sound smooth and effortless. If you want to fit in at a party in Berlin or Munich, this is the pattern you want to use. Even native speakers mess up complex dass clauses, so they often prefer this shortcut too!

Even though shortcuts are great, sometimes you need to take the long road. Avoid skipping dass in very formal writing. If you are writing a letter to a university or a job application, keep the dass. It shows you have mastered the formal rules. Also, you cannot use this trick for "if" questions. If your sentence uses ob (whether/if), you must keep it. For example, Ich weiß nicht, ob er kommt cannot be shortened this way. Additionally, if your sentence is extremely long and complicated, dass acts like a helpful signpost. It tells the listener exactly where the new thought starts. Think of it like a grammar traffic light. Green means go for simple thoughts. Red means stop and use dass for complex, formal ideas. Use your best judgment, but when in doubt, dass is always safe.

The biggest trap you might fall into is the "ghost verb" mistake. This happens when you drop the dass but accidentally leave the verb at the end of the sentence. For example, Ich sage, er heute kommt is incorrect. It sounds like a broken radio to a German speaker. Remember: if dass is gone, the verb MUST move to position two. Another common error is forgetting the comma. In English, we often skip the comma before "that", but in German, the comma is the glue that holds your thoughts together. Without it, the sentence falls apart. Ich glaube er ist hier is missing its glue. It must be Ich glaube, er ist hier. Finally, don't try to use this with other conjunctions like weil (because) or ob. This special shortcut only works for dass!

Let's compare three ways to say the same thing so you can see the difference clearly. First, we have Direct Speech: Lukas sagt: "Ich bin müde." This uses quotation marks and is very literal. Second, we have the standard dass clause: Lukas sagt, dass er müde ist. This is the textbook version where the verb travels to the end. Third, we have our shortcut: Lukas sagt, er ist müde. Notice how the shortcut feels like a perfect middle ground? It has the simplicity of direct speech because the word order is normal. But it also has the flow of a single, connected thought. It is the "Goldilocks" of German grammar—not too formal, not too complicated, just right for daily life.