GrammarC1· Debatte & Medien

Indirekte Fragen und Aufforderungen im Konjunktiv I

Reported questions and requests in the subjunctive I

Kartoffel · your teacher

Hi! Let's look at this one together — step by step, no rush.

From what you know

Er sagte, er habe keine Zeit.Sie fragte, ob er Zeit habe. Er solle sich beeilen.

6 parts · about 7 min

1What & when

In one line

Reported in : questions take ob or their question word; commands solle; requests möge.

Before

Waren Sie schon einmal nachts am Platz?

Watch the sentence change …

A yes/no question: ob opens the clause, and Sie becomes er. The verb goes to the end, and the past becomes gewesen sei.

„Sie fragte ihn, ob er schon einmal nachts am Platz gewesen sei.“ — She asked him whether he had ever been on the square at night.

Kartoffel

First, what is it?

At B2 you reported what someone stated: A debate also has questions and demands. A reported question becomes a (a clause with its verb at the end) with ob or its question word. A reported command or request uses sollen or mögen. All of it is in , the form that says: these are someone else's words.

Kartoffel

And when do you need it? More often than you'd think:

Debatte & MedienYou need it for press reviews, the news, minutes, the summary of a TV debate or a Stellungnahme (a formal statement), and in the C1 exam. You pass on what people asked () or demanded (). You don't take sides yourself. The examples come from a Viennese debate about a noisy square. In Austria, people who live nearby are Anrainer (in Germany Anwohner).

Tap to answer