German Subjunctive I
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HideThe usage and formation of the subjunctive I
The subjunctive I is a form that in general is only used in reports or newspapers. In them it describes a indirect speech. For example: "Die Frau berichtete, das Obst sei schlecht." (The woman reported, the fruits were bad.) Other than that the subjunctive I is only used in fixed German expressions. Examples for the use of the subjunctive I:
| Indirect speech | Fixed expressions |
|---|---|
Sie sagte, sie habe davon nichts gewusst. (She said she didn't know that.) | Sei es wie is sei. (Be it as it may.) |
Er sagte mir, er komme heute nicht mehr. (He told me he wouldn't come today.) | Lang lebe der König. (Long live the king.) |
Sie vergewisserten mir, sie seien pünktlich. (They assured me they would be on time.) | Gott sei Dank. (Thank god.) |
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How to form the German Subjunctive I
When forming the German subjunctive I the word "sein" (to be) is the most important to learn. That's because "sein " is the only German verb for which you can form the Subjunctive I for all persons. Here you can see it in a table
| Person | sein (to be) |
|---|---|
| ich | sei |
| du | seiest |
| er/ sie/ es | sei |
| wir | seien |
| ihr | seiet |
| sie | seien |
For all other verbs you can only form the 3rd person singular in subjunctive I. It is really easy to form this - you just take the indefinite form of the verb an remove the "-n" at the end! A few examples:
| Infinitive | Subjunctive I |
|---|---|
Haben (to have) | Er/Sie/Es habe |
Schreiben (to write) | Er/Sie/Es schreibe |
Lesen (to read) | Er/Sie/Es lese |
Fragen (to ask) | Er/Sie/Es frage |
Müssen (to have to) | Er/Sie/Es müsse |
Sagen (to say) | Er/Sie/Es sage |
Lachen (to laugh) | Er/Sie/Es lache |
Now, that you have learned about the subjunctive I you can either practice it in the following exercise or learn about the subjunctive II in the next chapter!