Breakdown of Die Firma versichert, sie sage den Verbrauchern immer die Wahrheit.
sie
she
sagen
to say
immer
always
die Wahrheit
the truth
die Firma
the company
versichern
to assure
der Verbraucher
the consumer
Questions & Answers about Die Firma versichert, sie sage den Verbrauchern immer die Wahrheit.
Why does the second part use sage instead of the normal present tense sagt?
The verb sage is in the Present Subjunctive (Konjunktiv I). It is used here for reported speech. By using sage after versichert (assures), the sentence shows that it is simply reporting the company's claim without guaranteeing it is true.
Why is the pronoun sie used here if the English translation says 'it'?
The pronoun sie refers back to die Firma (the company). Because Firma is a feminine noun in German, it must be replaced by the feminine pronoun sie, even though we say 'it' in English.
Why isn't the verb sage pushed to the end of the clause?
Because the sentence drops the word dass (that). In German reported speech, if you omit dass, the reported clause behaves like a regular main clause with the verb in the second position (sie sage). If you included it, the verb would go to the end: ... dass sie den Verbrauchern immer die Wahrheit sage.
Why is there an extra '-n' on den Verbrauchern?
Verbrauchern is the plural of Verbraucher (consumer) in the dative case, because they are the indirect object being told the truth. Plural nouns in the dative case almost always add an extra -n to the end of the word.
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