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Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal.

Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal.
The doctor says my blood pressure is normal.
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Questions & Answers about Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal.

Why is it sei and not ist?

Sei is the subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I) form of sein and is used for reported (indirect) speech.

  • Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal.
    → Literally: The doctor says (that) my blood pressure *be normal (i.e. *is normal, according to him).

Using sei shows you are reporting someone else’s statement, keeping a slight distance: you’re not necessarily vouching for it as your own fact; you’re transmitting what the doctor said.

Forms of Konjunktiv I for sein:

  • ich sei
  • du sei(e)st
  • er/sie/es sei
  • wir seien
  • ihr seiet
  • sie/Sie seien

In everyday spoken German, many people just use ist instead of sei, but sei is still very common in more careful or written German (news, reports, formal writing).

Can I also say Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck ist normal? What’s the difference?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct and very common in spoken German:

  • Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck ist normal.

Difference in nuance:

  • With sei: you clearly mark reported speech (more neutral/objective, common in news, reports).
  • With ist: you grammatically take over the statement as if it were simply a fact inside your sentence. The distinction is subtle, and in normal conversation most people don’t feel a big difference.

So:

  • Everyday speech: ist is more typical.
  • Neutral/official reporting: sei is preferred.
Could I also use dass? For example: Der Arzt sagt, dass mein Blutdruck normal sei/ist?

Yes, both are possible:

  1. Der Arzt sagt, dass mein Blutdruck normal sei.
  2. Der Arzt sagt, dass mein Blutdruck normal ist.

Notes:

  • dass introduces a subordinate clause (that-clause).
  • With dass, the finite verb goes to the end of the clause:
    … dass mein Blutdruck normal sei/ist.
  • You can combine dass with either:
    • sei (subjunctive I, reported speech), or
    • ist (indicative, normal statement).

In modern German, especially spoken, people often omit dass after verbs like sagen, denken, glauben:

  • Der Arzt sagt, (dass) mein Blutdruck normal ist/sei.

The original sentence is a dass-less subordinate clause with Konjunktiv I.

If there is no dass, why does the verb sei still go at the end?

Because mein Blutdruck sei normal is still a subordinate content clause (it depends on sagt), even though the conjunction dass is omitted.

  • Independent clause: Mein Blutdruck ist normal. (verb in 2nd position)
  • Subordinate clause (with dass): …, dass mein Blutdruck normal ist. (verb at the end)
  • Subordinate clause (without dass, as in your sentence):
    Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal. (verb still at the end)

German often drops dass in everyday language, but the subordinate word order (verb-final) is kept.

What tense is sagt here, and why not sagte?

Sagt is present tense.

  • Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal.
    Literally: The doctor says…

This can mean:

  • the doctor is saying it now, or
  • the doctor has said it (recently), and you consider it currently valid.

German uses the present very flexibly to report speech, even about things that happened a short while ago, especially when the statement is still true now.

You can also say:

  • Der Arzt sagte, mein Blutdruck sei normal.
    → simple past sagte focuses more clearly on the action as a past event.

Note: Even when the main verb is past (sagte), you still usually keep sei (not war) for reported speech:
Der Arzt sagte, mein Blutdruck sei normal.

Which cases are used in Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal?
  • Der Arzt – nominative singular masculine, subject of the main clause.
    • Arzt is masculine; nominative singular article is der.
  • mein Blutdruck – nominative singular masculine, subject of the subordinate clause.
    • If you used an article, it would be der Blutdruck.
    • The possessive mein is declined for masculine nominative singular as mein (not meinen, meinem, etc.).

Normal is a predicate adjective after sein, so it does not take a case ending (see next question).

Why doesn’t normal have an ending (like normaler, normale)?

Because normal here is a predicate adjective after the verb sein.

In German:

  • When an adjective directly modifies a noun, it is declined:
    ein hoher Blutdruck, der hohe Blutdruck.
  • When an adjective comes after a linking verb like sein, werden, bleiben, it stays in its base form:
    • Der Blutdruck ist normal.
    • Mein Blutdruck sei normal.
    • Der Patient bleibt ruhig.

So normal stays uninflected here.

Is Blutdruck one word? Why, and how is it formed?

Yes, Blutdruck is one compound noun.

  • Blut = blood
  • Druck = pressure

German frequently combines nouns into compounds, usually written as one word:

  • Blutdruck (blood pressure)
  • Blutgruppe (blood type)
  • Körpertemperatur (body temperature)
  • Hausarzt (family doctor / GP)

As a noun, Blutdruck is capitalized (like all German nouns) and is masculine:
der Blutdruck.

Stress is on the first part: BLUTdruck.

Why is there a comma before mein Blutdruck sei normal?

Because German requires a comma between the main clause and a subordinate/content clause.

  • Main clause: Der Arzt sagt
  • Subordinate clause (what he says): mein Blutdruck sei normal

German spelling rules are stricter than English here:

  • You must write the comma, even when dass is omitted:
    • Er sagt, er kommt morgen.
    • Sie denkt, es sei eine gute Idee.

So: Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal. – the comma is obligatory.

Could I say Der Arzt sagt, dass normal mein Blutdruck sei?

No, that word order is ungrammatical.

Correct options:

  • Der Arzt sagt, dass mein Blutdruck normal ist/sei.
  • Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal.

In a normal declarative clause, the usual order is:

  1. Subject (mein Blutdruck)
  2. Predicate adjective (normal)
  3. Verb at the end (ist/sei)

You do not put normal before mein Blutdruck in this type of statement.

What is the difference between sei and wäre?

Both are subjunctive forms of sein, but:

  • sei = Konjunktiv I
    → mainly for reported/indirect speech:
    Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal.

  • wäre = Konjunktiv II
    → mainly for hypothetical/unreal situations, wishes, politeness:

    • Wenn mein Blutdruck niedriger wäre, wäre ich beruhigter.
      (If my blood pressure were lower, I would be more relaxed.)
    • Es wäre gut, wenn mein Blutdruck normal wäre.

In your sentence, sei is used because the function is reporting what someone said, not expressing a hypothetical condition.

Could I leave out mein and just say Der Arzt sagt, Blutdruck sei normal?

No, that sounds wrong/unnatural in normal German.

You need some kind of determiner with Blutdruck:

  • Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal.
  • Der Arzt sagt, der Blutdruck sei normal. (the blood pressure, e.g. a previously mentioned patient’s)
  • Der Arzt sagt, Ihr Blutdruck sei normal. (formal your)

Without mein/der/Ihr, Blutdruck sounds like a bare, generic noun stuck in the sentence, which does not work here.

Does the sentence sound formal or informal?

The vocabulary and structure are neutral, but the use of sei gives it a slightly more formal / written flavor.

  • Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck ist normal.
    → what you’d usually hear in everyday conversation.
  • Der Arzt sagt, mein Blutdruck sei normal.
    → fits well in reports, written summaries, or careful speech where you mark reported speech more clearly.

Both are correct; the choice is mostly one of style and register.