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!
Exercises
Exercise for German Subjunctive I!
Fill in the missing form of the subjunctive I.
It is derived from the simple present tense of a verb in the indicative. Recap of the subjunctive I endings:
- ich -e
- du -est
- er/ sie/ es -e
- wir -en
- ihr -et
- sie -en
Die Frau sagt, der Mann in einer Firma. (arbeiten) - (The woman says, the man worked in a firm)
Das Mädchen sagt, ihr Bruder sie geärgert. (haben) - (The girl says, her brother had teased her)
Der Junge sagt, es noch drei weitere Brüder. (geben) - (The boy says, there were 3 more brothers)
Die Mutter sagt, wir zu laut gewesen. (sein) - (The mother says, we had been to loud)
Der Professor sagt, die Erde bald überbevölkert. (sein) - (The professor says, the earth would soon be overpopulated)
Deine Freundin sagt, du jeden Tag 100 Euro aus. (geben) - (Your girlfriend says, you would spend a 100 euros every day)
Die Frau sagt, er schlecht über dich. (reden) - (The woman says, he would talk bad about you)
Die Chefin sagt, wir zu gemein untereinander. (sein) - (The boss says, we were too mean to each other)
Die Lehrerin sagt, die Schulkinder zu viel. (reden) - (The teacher says, the kids talked too much)
Der Verkäufer sagt, der Fernseher das beste Model. (sein) - (The salesperson says, the TV were the best model)
Exercise: Build the subjunctive 1
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the subjunctive 1
Er sagte (he says):
- er (haben) Hunger. (he were hungry)
- er (sein) gestern erst sehr spät nach Hause gekommen. (he had arrived very late yesterday)
- Mario und Lukas (sein) heute schon um 8 da gewesen. (Mario and Lukas were already here at 8)
- er (kommen) heute. (he would come today)
- du (sein) zuhause. (you were at home)
- es (werden) bald schlechtes Wetter aufkommen. (it would be bad weather soon)
- dein Haar (wachsen) 1 cm pro Monat. (your hair grew 1 cm per month)
- er (schreiben) ein Gedicht über die Liebe. (he would write a poem about love)
- er (haben) seit heute Morgen nichts mehr gegessen. (he hadn't eaten anything since this morning)
- du (sein) erst sehr spät nach Hause gekommen. (you had come home very late.)
Exercises
Exercise for German Subjunctive I!
Fill in the missing form of the subjunctive I.
It is derived from the simple present tense of a verb in the indicative. Recap of the subjunctive I endings:
- ich -e
- du -est
- er/ sie/ es -e
- wir -en
- ihr -et
- sie -en
Die Frau sagt, der Mann in einer Firma. (arbeiten) - (The woman says, the man worked in a firm)
Das Mädchen sagt, ihr Bruder sie geärgert. (haben) - (The girl says, her brother had teased her)
Der Junge sagt, es noch drei weitere Brüder. (geben) - (The boy says, there were 3 more brothers)
Die Mutter sagt, wir zu laut gewesen. (sein) - (The mother says, we had been to loud)
Der Professor sagt, die Erde bald überbevölkert. (sein) - (The professor says, the earth would soon be overpopulated)
Deine Freundin sagt, du jeden Tag 100 Euro aus. (geben) - (Your girlfriend says, you would spend a 100 euros every day)
Die Frau sagt, er schlecht über dich. (reden) - (The woman says, he would talk bad about you)
Die Chefin sagt, wir zu gemein untereinander. (sein) - (The boss says, we were too mean to each other)
Die Lehrerin sagt, die Schulkinder zu viel. (reden) - (The teacher says, the kids talked too much)
Der Verkäufer sagt, der Fernseher das beste Model. (sein) - (The salesperson says, the TV were the best model)
Exercise: Build the subjunctive 1
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the subjunctive 1
Er sagte (he says):
- er (haben) Hunger. (he were hungry)
- er (sein) gestern erst sehr spät nach Hause gekommen. (he had arrived very late yesterday)
- Mario und Lukas (sein) heute schon um 8 da gewesen. (Mario and Lukas were already here at 8)
- er (kommen) heute. (he would come today)
- du (sein) zuhause. (you were at home)
- es (werden) bald schlechtes Wetter aufkommen. (it would be bad weather soon)
- dein Haar (wachsen) 1 cm pro Monat. (your hair grew 1 cm per month)
- er (schreiben) ein Gedicht über die Liebe. (he would write a poem about love)
- er (haben) seit heute Morgen nichts mehr gegessen. (he hadn't eaten anything since this morning)
- du (sein) erst sehr spät nach Hause gekommen. (you had come home very late.)