Breakdown of Der Vorstand bittet, Sie mögen die Arbeit delegieren.
Sie
you (formal)
die Arbeit
the work
bitten
to ask, to request
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
Questions & Answers about Der Vorstand bittet, Sie mögen die Arbeit delegieren.
I thought mögen meant "to like". Why is it used here to mean a request?
In reported speech (Konjunktiv I), mögen takes on a special function: it is used to relay a polite command or wish. If the original speaker used a polite imperative (e.g., "Please delegate the work"), it is often reported indirectly using mögen. It pairs especially well with reporting verbs like bitten (to ask/request).
Could we use sollen here instead of mögen?
Yes, you could say ..., Sie sollen die Arbeit delegieren. However, sollen is stronger and implies a direct order or instruction. Because the reporting verb in this sentence is bitten, the softer, more polite mögen is a much better fit for the tone.
Why is the conjugated verb mögen in the second position of the clause instead of at the very end?
This is an indirect speech clause where the conjunction dass (that) has been left out. When you drop dass in reported speech, the clause takes normal main-clause word order, so the conjugated verb stays in position two. If you kept the conjunction, the verb would go to the end: Der Vorstand bittet, dass Sie die Arbeit delegieren mögen.
How can I tell that mögen is in Konjunktiv I here, since it looks exactly like the normal present tense form?
You have to rely on context. For the pronouns wir, sie (they), and Sie (formal you), Konjunktiv I forms are identical to the regular present tense (indicative). We know it functions as Konjunktiv I here because the sentence is reporting a request in indirect speech.