Breakdown of Der Arzt in der Klinik sagt, der Patient sei noch zu schwach zum Reisen.
sein
to be
in
in
zu
to
noch
still
sagen
to say
zu
too
der Arzt
the doctor
der
the; (feminine, dative)
dem
the; (neuter, dative)
die Klinik
the clinic
der Patient
the patient
schwach
weak
das Reisen
the travel
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Questions & Answers about Der Arzt in der Klinik sagt, der Patient sei noch zu schwach zum Reisen.
Why does the sentence use sagt, der Patient sei noch zu schwach instead of sagt, dass der Patient noch zu schwach ist?
German often reports speech in indirect speech (Konjunktiv I) without dass.
- sagt, der Patient sei… is stylistically more formal and neutral.
- You can also say sagt, dass der Patient noch zu schwach ist, but that switches to a regular dass-clause with Indicative (ist) and is slightly more colloquial.
What is the purpose of Konjunktiv I in sei, and how is it formed?
Konjunktiv I marks indirect speech in German. It shows that the speaker is reporting someone else’s words without claiming them as fact. Formation for sein:
- Ich sei
- Du sei(e)st
- Er/sie/es sei
- Wir seien
- Ihr seiet
- Sie seien
In your sentence, sei is the 3rd-person singular form.
Why is in der Klinik used, and why is der in the dative case?
The preposition in takes:
- Dative when it denotes location (Wo?).
- Accusative when it denotes movement into (Wohin?).
Here, the doctor is in the clinic (location), so you use dative: in der Klinik (feminine singular dative).
Why is it zum Reisen instead of zu reisen, and why is Reisen capitalized?
- Reisen is a nominalized infinitive (a noun), so it’s capitalized.
- zum = zu + dem, where dem is the neuter article for the noun Reisen.
- This structure turns the verb “reisen” into a noun phrase: das Reisen.
Alternatively, you could use an infinitive clause with “um … zu” (see next question).
Could I also say noch zu schwach, um zu reisen, and what’s the difference?
Yes. Both are correct:
- noch zu schwach zum Reisen (nominalized infinitive)
- noch zu schwach, um zu reisen (infinitive clause expressing purpose/ability)
The nuances are minimal. The “um … zu” version often feels more explicit about the action “to travel,” whereas the nominalized version is slightly more abstract or formal.
What role does noch play in noch zu schwach?
noch means “still.” It tells us the patient remains too weak at this moment, implying that he might be stronger later.
Why is there a comma after sagt but none before zum Reisen?
- The comma after sagt introduces the indirect speech clause (der Patient sei…).
- zum Reisen is just a prepositional phrase inside that clause, so no comma is needed before it.