AQA A-Level German (7662) · Grammar backbone 8 of 10 — Konjunktiv I and reported speech
A-Level Grammar
Konjunktiv I
The Konjunktiv I is the mood of reported speech (indirekte Rede). It signals that you are relaying someone else's words, not asserting them yourself — which is exactly why it fills German newspapers. You need its formation, its 3rd-person forms, and the switch to Konjunktiv II.
Er sagt, er sei krankreported speech = Konjunktiv I (sei · habe · komme)
Work through each screen and answer the questions — some ask you to spot the form, some to build it. Collect ⭐ and press Start.
Formation
Infinitive stem + -e
Konjunktiv I is built on the infinitive stem plus the endings -e / -est / -e / -en / -et / -en. The forms are clearest in the er/sie/es slot, so that is where KI does most of its work:
infinitive
Konjunktiv I (er/sie/es)
sein
sei
haben
habe
kommen
komme
werden
werde
können
könne
müssen
müsse
sein is the exception: its KI is sei, seist, sei, seien, seiet, seien — with no -e in the er-form (er sei).
Usage
Relaying someone's words
After a verb of saying/thinking, put the reported clause into Konjunktiv I. You can keep or drop dass:
Er sagt, er sei krank. — direct: "Ich bin krank."
Sie meint, sie habe keine Zeit. — direct: "Ich habe keine Zeit."
Der Minister sagte, die Lage sei ernst. — the classic news register.
Neutral, not doubtful: KI simply marks the words as reported — it does not imply the writer doubts them.
Quick check
Reported: sein
?Complete: Er sagt, er ___ krank. ("He says he is ill.")
Sort it
Choose the reported form
Type it
Your turn — reported haben
1Fill the Konjunktiv I: Sie sagt, sie ___ Hunger. ("She says she is hungry.") — from haben, sie (sing.).
Hint: KI = infinitive stem 'hab-' + -e.
Quick check
Reported: haben
?Complete: Sie meint, sie ___ keine Zeit. ("She thinks she has no time.") — sie singular.
The KII switch
When Konjunktiv I looks like the indicative
In the plural (and the ich-form), the KI often coincides with the indicative — e.g. KI sie haben = indicative sie haben. That would hide the reported mood, so German switches to Konjunktiv II:
direct: Wir haben keine Zeit.
KI would be sie haben (= indicative) → switch to KII: Sie sagen, sie hätten keine Zeit.
Rule: use KI where it is clearly distinct (mostly er/sie/es); switch to KII wherever KI would be identical to the indicative.
Quick check
Switching to KII
?Complete: Sie sagen, sie ___ keine Zeit. ("They say they have no time.") — plural.
Type it
Your turn — the KII switch
2Fill the form: Die Schüler sagen, sie ___ keine Hausaufgaben. ("The pupils say they have no homework.") — plural, so switch to KII.
Hint: KI 'haben' would equal the indicative, so use the KII of haben in the plural.
Game · Match
Match infinitive to Konjunktiv I
Tap an infinitive on the left, then its Konjunktiv I (er) form.
INFINITIVE
sein
haben
werden
können
müssen
wissen
KONJUNKTIV I
müsse
sei
wisse
werde
habe
könne
Reported past
Tense mapping
The tense of the original words maps neatly onto Konjunktiv I:
Present → KI present: Er sagt, er komme später.
Past → KI perfect: Er sagte, er habe das Buch gelesen. / er seigegangen.
Future → werde + infinitive: Er sagt, er werde kommen.
The perfect carries the past: there is no separate KI past tense — reported past always goes through the KI of haben/sein + participle.
Quick check
Reported past
?Complete: Er sagte, er ___ das Buch gelesen. ("He said he had read the book.")
Type it
Your turn — reported kommen
3Fill the Konjunktiv I: Er meint, er ___ später. ("He thinks he is coming later.") — from kommen, er-form.
Hint: KI = stem 'komm-' + -e.
Sort it
Konjunktiv I or indicative?
Sort each form by the mood it shows.
Konjunktiv I (reported)
Indikativ (fact)
Quick check
Reported kommen
?Complete: Sie sagt, er ___ morgen. ("She says he is coming tomorrow.") — from kommen.
In the press
Why journalists love it
Newspapers use Konjunktiv I to attribute claims without endorsing them. A single KI form flags "these are their words, not ours":
Die Regierung erklärte, die Reform sei notwendig und werde Arbeitsplätze schaffen.
Der Sprecher betonte, man habe alles getan.
Reading skill: spotting KI tells you a sentence is reported opinion, not established fact — vital for the listening and reading papers.
Type it
Your turn — a full sentence
4Translate "He says he is ill" into German using reported speech (sagen + Konjunktiv I of sein).
Hint: 'Er sagt,' then the reported clause with 'sei'.
Type it
Your turn — reported sein
5Fill the Konjunktiv I: Er sagt, er ___ Arzt. ("He says he is a doctor.") — from sein, er-form.
Hint: the irregular KI of 'sein' in the er-form has no -e.
Recap
Your Konjunktiv I toolkit
Formation: infinitive stem + -e (er habe, komme, könne, müsse, wisse); sein is irregular (er sei).
Use: reported speech after verbs of saying/thinking — Er sagt, er sei krank. dass is optional.
KII switch: where KI equals the indicative (plurals), switch to Konjunktiv II (Sie sagen, sie hätten…).
Tense: reported past → KI perfect (er habe … gelesen / er sei … gegangen); reported future → werde + infinitive. Core to journalism.
Cluster 9 rebuilds the sentence from the object's angle: the passive. Press Finish.
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Next in the backbone: the passive — werden-passive, agents and alternatives.