Learn Hardcore German: Meine Professorin sagt, ich solle im Motivationsschreiben ehrlich über meine Ziele sprechen. - My professor says I should speak honestly about my goals in the letter of motivation.

Direct speech:
Meine Professorin sagt: „Du sollst im Motivationsschreiben ehrlich über deine Ziele sprechen.“
Reported speech:
Meine Professorin sagt, ich solle im Motivationsschreiben ehrlich über meine Ziele sprechen.

Using solle signals that this is something the professor says or demands, not the speaker’s own instruction. In careful written German (especially formal or journalistic style), Konjunktiv I is preferred for this kind of reporting.

Using soll would be grammatically possible in everyday speech, but it blurs the distinction between:

a report of what someone else said (solle), and
the speaker’s own statement of obligation (soll).

What exactly is solle grammatically?

Solle is:

the 1st person singular and 3rd person singular form of the Konjunktiv I (subjunctive I) of sollen.
The infinitive is sollen (“should / be supposed to”).

Konjugation of sollen in Konjunktiv I (present):

ich solle
du sollest
er/sie/es solle
wir sollen
ihr sollet
sie/Sie sollen

In indirect speech after verbs like sagen, meinen, behaupten, fordern, etc., this Konjunktiv I form is very typical in written German.

Can I say „Meine Professorin sagt, dass ich im Motivationsschreiben ehrlich über meine Ziele sprechen soll.“ instead? What is the difference?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically correct and sounds natural.

The differences:

With Konjunktiv I (original sentence)
Meine Professorin sagt, ich solle …
- More formal / written style.
- Clearly marks reported speech.
- Slightly distances the speaker from the content (it’s the professor’s instruction).
With „dass“ + Indikativ
Meine Professorin sagt, dass ich … sprechen soll.
- Very common in everyday spoken German.
- Feels a bit more direct and neutral.
- Still reported speech, but without the special Konjunktiv-marking.

In conversation, you’re more likely to hear the dass + soll version; in formal writing, the Konjunktiv I (solle) version is especially common.

Could I say „ich sollte … sprechen“ instead of „ich solle … sprechen“?

Not in this context, if you want to stay close to standard usage.

Solle = Konjunktiv I for indirect speech (reported command/instruction).
Sollte is usually:
- Konjunktiv II of sollen, used for hypothetical / polite suggestions, e.g.
  Ich sollte mehr Deutsch lernen. – I really ought to / should learn more German.
- Or the preterite (simple past) in some contexts, but that’s less relevant here.

Meine Professorin sagt, ich sollte … would sound like:

either a less standard way of doing reported speech, or
something like “My professor says (or thinks) it might be better if I …” (more “advisory” / hypothetical).

For neutral reported speech of a clear instruction, ich solle is the textbook form.

Why is there a comma before ich solle?

The comma is required because ich solle im Motivationsschreiben ehrlich über meine Ziele sprechen is a subordinate clause depending on Meine Professorin sagt.

Structure:

Main clause: Meine Professorin sagt,
Subordinate clause (indirect speech): ich solle im Motivationsschreiben ehrlich über meine Ziele sprechen.

In German, all finite subordinate clauses are separated from the main clause by a comma, even if there is no explicit conjunction like dass.

What case is im Motivationsschreiben, and what does im stand for?

Im Motivationsschreiben is dative singular.

im = contraction of in dem
- in (preposition)
- dem (dative singular article for neuter noun)

Motivationsschreiben is a neuter noun:

das Motivationsschreiben – des Motivationsschreibens – dem Motivationsschreiben – das Motivationsschreiben

So:

in dem Motivationsschreiben → im Motivationsschreiben (dative, “in the motivation letter”).

What is a Motivationsschreiben, and why is it one word and capitalized?

A Motivationsschreiben is a motivation letter / statement of purpose / personal statement, typically required for:

university applications,
scholarship applications,
some job applications, volunteer programs, etc.

In German, nouns are always capitalized. Also, German often forms compound nouns by combining smaller words into a single long word:

Motivation
- Schreiben → Motivationsschreiben

So it must be:

one word, and
with a capital M.

Why is it Professorin and not Professor? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, it indicates the professor’s gender.

Professor = male professor (masculine noun)
Professorin = female professor (feminine noun)

Meine Professorin therefore means “my (female) professor”.

This is a very regular pattern in German:

Lehrer → Lehrerin
Arzt → Ärztin
Student → Studentin

When you say meine Professorin, the possessive meine matches the feminine gender and singular number of Professorin.

Why is sprechen at the end of the clause?

In German subordinate clauses, the finite verb (here: solle) comes in “second position” within that clause, and the infinitive or other non-finite verb forms go to the end.

Clause: ich solle im Motivationsschreiben ehrlich über meine Ziele sprechen

Subject: ich
Finite verb (Konjunktiv I): solle
Other elements: im Motivationsschreiben ehrlich über meine Ziele
Infinitive: sprechen (at the very end)

This “verb at the end” rule for infinitives and participles is standard in subordinate clauses in German, especially when you have a modal verb (sollen) + infinitive (sprechen).

Why is it über meine Ziele sprechen and not von meinen Zielen sprechen?

Both über and von can be used with sprechen, but there is a nuance:

über etwas sprechen
- Literally “to speak about something”.
- Suggests dealing with the topic in some detail, describing, explaining, discussing it.
- More typical in contexts like essays, presentations, application texts.
von etwas sprechen
- Literally “to speak of something”.
- Often a bit more indirect or general, sometimes just mentioning something.

In a Motivationsschreiben, you are expected to discuss and explain your goals, not just mention them. That’s why ehrlich über meine Ziele sprechen sounds more natural and precise.

What nuance does ehrlich add, and could I use offen instead?

Ehrlich means honestly, in the sense of telling the truth and not hiding or falsifying your intentions.

ehrlich über meine Ziele sprechen – “to talk honestly about my goals”
→ Don’t lie, don’t invent goals just to impress.

Offen means openly, more about being open, direct, not reserved.

offen über meine Ziele sprechen – “to talk openly about my goals”
→ Don’t be too secretive, be willing to share.

You can say offen und ehrlich über meine Ziele sprechen (a common pairing: “openly and honestly”), but in the original sentence ehrlich by itself already fits perfectly, especially in the context of an application where honesty about your real goals is emphasized.