Once you know that German reports speech with Konjunktiv I, a problem appears: half the Konjunktiv I forms look exactly like the ordinary present indicative. Sie haben as a fact and sie haben as a report are spelled and pronounced identically — so the reporting marker vanishes. German solves this with an elegant rule: when the Konjunktiv I form is indistinguishable from the indicative, substitute Konjunktiv II. This page gives you the full paradigm and the logic for choosing between the two.
The full Konjunktiv I paradigm
Konjunktiv I attaches the endings -e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en to the infinitive stem (no vowel change). Here it is across four representative verbs:
| Person | sein | haben | gehen | können |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ich | sei | habe | gehe | könne |
| du | seist | habest | gehest | könnest |
| er/sie/es | sei | habe | gehe | könne |
| wir | seien | haben | gehen | können |
| ihr | seiet | habet | gehet | könnet |
| sie/Sie | seien | haben | gehen | können |
Look closely at the haben, gehen, and können columns. In the wir and sie/Sie rows, the Konjunktiv I form (haben, gehen, können) is letter-for-letter identical to the present indicative. Only sein keeps a distinct form throughout (seien ≠ indicative sind).
The substitution rule
Here is the principle, and it is the single most important thing to understand about reported speech in German:
You use whichever form is unambiguously non-indicative. If Konjunktiv I is distinct from the indicative, use it. If it is identical, switch to Konjunktiv II so the reporting marking survives.
This is the distinguishing insight that trips up most learners: the choice between Konjunktiv I and Konjunktiv II in reported speech is driven by form distinctness, not by meaning. The two moods carry the same reporting function here; you pick the one that looks like a report.
Where Konjunktiv I survives, where it is replaced
| Person | Konjunktiv I form | Same as indicative? | What you actually use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ich (habe) | habe | Yes (= ich habe) | → Konjunktiv II hätte |
| du (habest) | habest | No (distinct) | habest (KI ok, though often → hättest) |
| er/sie/es (habe) | habe | No (≠ hat) | habe (clear Konjunktiv I) |
| wir (haben) | haben | Yes (= wir haben) | → Konjunktiv II hätten |
| ihr (habet) | habet | No (distinct) | habet (rare; often → hättet) |
| sie/Sie (haben) | haben | Yes (= sie haben) | → Konjunktiv II hätten |
So in practice the third-person singular is the home of clean Konjunktiv I (er habe, sie gehe, es komme), while the plural routinely flips to Konjunktiv II (sie hätten, sie gingen, sie kämen). The verb sein is the exception that resists substitution everywhere, because all its Konjunktiv I forms (sei, seien) are distinct from the indicative (ist, sind).
The mixed system in one sentence
The result is a sentence that can switch moods between singular and plural subjects — and this is completely correct, not a mistake:
Der Chef sagte, er habe keine Zeit, und seine Mitarbeiter hätten zu viel Arbeit.
The boss said he had no time and his employees had too much work. (er habe = KI; sie hätten = KII substitute)
That single sentence pairs er habe (distinct Konjunktiv I) with hätten (Konjunktiv II, because haben would look indicative). A reader of German news takes this in stride; the alternation is the system working as designed.
Sie erklärte, sie sei zufrieden, aber ihre Kollegen wären skeptisch.
She explained that she was satisfied but her colleagues were skeptical. (sei = KI; wären = KII substitute for plural)
Worked examples by verb
Er sagt, er gehe oft schwimmen.
He says he often goes swimming. (gehe — clear KI, singular)
Sie sagen, sie gingen oft schwimmen.
They say they often go swimming. (gehen would look indicative → use gingen, KII)
Der Sprecher betonte, die Zahlen seien korrekt.
The spokesman emphasized that the figures were correct. (seien — sein stays KI, distinct from sind)
Die Forscher berichteten, sie hätten neue Belege gefunden.
The researchers reported that they had found new evidence. (haben → hätten because plural haben = indicative)
A note on würde as a third layer
When even the Konjunktiv II form is identical to the indicative or sounds stilted (common with weak verbs, where sie machten could be a past indicative), German reaches for a third option: würde + infinitive. So sie machen (would look indicative) and sie machten (could be read as simple past) both yield to sie würden machen.
Sie behaupten, sie würden das Problem bald lösen.
They claim they will soon solve the problem. (würden lösen avoids the ambiguous machten-type form)
Common Mistakes
❌ Die Politiker sagen, sie haben einen Plan.
Wrong for reported speech: sie haben is indistinguishable from the indicative, so the report isn't marked.
✅ Die Politiker sagen, sie hätten einen Plan.
Correct: switch to Konjunktiv II hätten to keep the reporting marking.
❌ Er sagt, er hätte keine Zeit.
Overcorrected: er habe is a clean Konjunktiv I, so KII hätte is unnecessary (and can hint at doubt).
✅ Er sagt, er habe keine Zeit.
Correct: use the distinct Konjunktiv I in the third-person singular.
❌ Sie berichten, die Lage sind ernst.
Wrong: plural seien/wären is needed, and the indicative sind defeats the purpose.
✅ Sie berichten, die Lage sei ernst.
Correct: singular subject die Lage takes the distinct KI sei.
❌ Die Zeugen gaben an, sie sehen den Unfall.
Wrong: sie sehen = indicative; reporting marking is lost.
✅ Die Zeugen gaben an, sie hätten den Unfall gesehen.
Correct: plural shifts to KII (hätten + participle for the past).
Key Takeaways
- Konjunktiv I endings are -e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en on the infinitive stem; sein is irregular (sei, seien).
- The substitution rule is about form, not meaning: use the form that is clearly non-indicative.
- Third-person singular = clean Konjunktiv I (er habe, sie gehe, es komme, er sei). Plurals usually flip to Konjunktiv II (sie hätten, sie gingen, sie wären).
- A mixed sentence (er habe ... sie hätten ...) is correct, not sloppy.
- If both KI and KII look indicative or sound stiff, fall back to würde + infinitive.
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Start learning German→Related Topics
- Konjunktiv I: Reported Speech (indirekte Rede)B2 — What Konjunktiv I is, how it is formed, and why German journalism uses it to report claims at a neutral distance without vouching for their truth.
- Reported Speech: Tense, Pronoun, and Time ShiftsC1 — The full mechanics of German indirekte Rede — how pronouns, time and place words, and tenses shift when you turn direct speech into reported speech.
- Konjunktiv I vs Konjunktiv IIC1 — Konjunktiv I reports speech neutrally; Konjunktiv II handles hypotheticals, wishes, and politeness — and replaces Konjunktiv I whenever its form collides with the indicative.
- Synthetic Konjunktiv II FormsB2 — Building the one-word Konjunktiv II from the Präteritum stem plus umlaut — and why weak verbs surrender these forms to würde.
- Konjunktiv I in Extended Reported SpeechC2 — How German journalism sustains Konjunktiv I across a whole paragraph to mark an entire passage as reported claims — the perfect (er sei gekommen), the future (er werde kommen), tense consistency, and the systematic switch to Konjunktiv II when the form collides with the indicative.