Time Shift in Indirect Speech

In German, indirect speech at the basic level uses the word dass. This little word means "that." It acts like a glue. It connects your reporting verb (like sagen) to the information you are sharing. The biggest thing to remember is the "Verb Kick." In a normal sentence, the verb is in the second position. But when dass enters the room, the verb gets scared and runs to the very end of the sentence. It stays there until the period. Also, you have to change the pronouns. If Max says "I am coming," you say "Max says that he is coming." You are looking at the situation from the outside now. It is like shifting a camera angle in a movie. You are no longer the actor; you are the narrator. Even native speakers sometimes forget the verb at the end when they are in a hurry, so don't sweat it too much!

1. 1Building these sentences follows a very strict recipe. Follow these steps to get it right every time:
2. 2Start with the person speaking and a reporting verb (e.g., Er sagt...).
3. 3Add a comma. German loves commas! Do not skip it.
4. 4Add the word dass.
5. 5Put the subject of the reported message next (e.g., er, sie, das Wetter).
6. 6Put all other information (time, place, objects) in the middle.
7. 7Place the conjugated verb at the very, very end.
8. 8Example: Maria sagt: "Ich trinke Kaffee." becomes Maria sagt, dass sie Kaffee trinkt. See how trinkt moved to the end? It’s like the verb is the caboose of a train.

Use this pattern whenever you want to repeat what someone else said without using a direct quote.

• Ordering food: "My friend says that he wants the pizza." (Mein Freund sagt, dass er die Pizza möchte.)
• At work: "The boss says that the meeting is at ten." (Der Chef sagt, dass der Termin um zehn ist.)
• Asking directions: "The woman said that the station is near." (Die Frau hat gesagt, dass der Bahnhof nah ist.)
• Sharing news: "My mom says that she is coming tomorrow." (Meine Mutter sagt, dass sie morgen kommt.)

It makes your German sound much more fluid and natural. Instead of just saying short, choppy sentences, you are building complex thoughts. It’s like moving from Lego Duplo to the big kid sets.

Don't use this if you are quoting someone exactly. If you use quotation marks, keep the verb in its normal spot. For example: Er sagt: "Ich bin müde." You also don't need this for simple commands. If someone yells "Run!", you don't usually say "He says that I should run" unless you want to be very formal. Also, if you are just stating a fact yourself, you don't need dass. Only use it when you are reporting information from another source. Think of dass as a "source tag" for your sentence. If there is no source, there is no dass!

The "Verb Trap" is the most common pitfall. Many people leave the verb in the middle of the sentence.

• ✗ Er sagt, dass er ist müde. (Wrong!)
• ✓ Er sagt, dass er müde ist. (Correct!)

Another mistake is forgetting to change the pronoun. If you say Er sagt, dass ich müde bin, you are saying that *you* are tired, not him! That could lead to some confusing conversations at a party. Finally, don't forget the comma before dass. In English, we often skip "that" and the comma. In German, that's a no-go. The comma is like a traffic light telling the reader to get ready for the verb shift.

You might confuse this with direct speech. Direct speech is easy: Er sagt: "Ich komme." No verb shift, no dass. Indirect speech is more integrated: Er sagt, dass er kommt. There is also the word weil (because). It also kicks the verb to the end, but it explains *why* something is happening. Dass just explains *what* was said. Think of dass as the "What" and weil as the "Why." They are cousins in the grammar world, but they have different jobs.