Breakdown of Sie sagt, ich solle den Lieferanten irgendwann kontaktieren.
ich
I
sie
she
sagen
to say
sollen
should / ought to
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
irgendwann
sometime
der Lieferant
the supplier
kontaktieren
to contact
Questions & Answers about Sie sagt, ich solle den Lieferanten irgendwann kontaktieren.
Why is it solle and not soll?
It is in Konjunktiv I, which is used for reported speech. When reporting an indirect command or request (like "Call the supplier!"), German uses the Konjunktiv I forms of sollen or mögen. If you used the normal present tense soll, it would sound like a direct statement of your own obligation rather than reporting what she told you to do.
Could I use möge instead of solle in this sentence?
Yes, but it changes the tone. Using ich möge makes it an indirect polite request ("She asks that I please contact..."). Using ich solle makes it an indirect command or strong instruction ("She says I am supposed to contact..."), which is more typical in a business context with a supplier.
Why is there an -n at the end of Lieferanten? Is it plural?
It is actually singular! Der Lieferant belongs to a group of masculine nouns that take an -n or -en ending in every case except the nominative. This is known as n-declension (or weak nouns). Because the supplier is the direct object here (accusative case), it becomes den Lieferanten.
What is the difference between irgendwann and manchmal?
manchmal means "sometimes" in the sense of a recurring event. irgendwann, which is used in this sentence, means "sometime" or "at some unspecified point" in time. She wants you to contact the supplier just once, but at an undefined time in the future.
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