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Die Verkäuferin sagt, es sei wirklich abgelaufen, und entschuldigt sich freundlich.

Die Verkäuferin sagt, es sei wirklich abgelaufen, und entschuldigt sich freundlich.
The saleswoman says it really is expired and apologizes kindly.

Breakdown of Die Verkäuferin sagt, es sei wirklich abgelaufen, und entschuldigt sich freundlich.

sein
to be
und
and
es
it
wirklich
really
sagen
to say
freundlich
kindly
die Verkäuferin
the saleswoman
abgelaufen
expired
sich entschuldigen
to apologize
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Questions & Answers about Die Verkäuferin sagt, es sei wirklich abgelaufen, und entschuldigt sich freundlich.

Why does it say es sei instead of es ist?

Es sei is Konjunktiv I (subjunctive I), which is very common in German for reported/indirect speech. It signals that the speaker is reporting what someone says rather than stating it as their own fact.

  • Direct speech: Die Verkäuferin sagt: Es ist wirklich abgelaufen.
  • Indirect speech: Die Verkäuferin sagt, es sei wirklich abgelaufen.

In everyday speech many people also use es ist in indirect speech, but es sei is especially typical in more formal written German (news, reports) and is also perfectly correct in speech.

How do you form sei—what verb is it?

Sei comes from the verb sein (to be). In Konjunktiv I, the forms are:

  • ich sei
  • du seiest
  • er/sie/es sei
  • wir seien
  • ihr seiet
  • sie/Sie seien

So es sei = it is (reported).

What exactly does abgelaufen mean here?

Abgelaufen literally means run out / expired. In this context it typically refers to something like food, medicine, a ticket, a contract, etc., whose validity date has passed.

Grammatically, abgelaufen is the past participle of ablaufen, but here it functions like an adjective/predicate with sein:

  • etwas ist abgelaufen = something is expired
Why is it es? What does es refer to?

Es is a pronoun meaning it. It refers back to whatever item was being talked about (e.g., die Milch, das Produkt, der Gutschein, etc.). German often uses a neutral es when the exact noun isn’t repeated in the sentence, especially when the item has already been established in context.

If you explicitly refer to a noun, you’d match grammatical gender:

  • Die Milch sei abgelaufen. (feminine → sie if using a pronoun)
  • Der Joghurt sei abgelaufen. (masculine → er)
  • Das Produkt sei abgelaufen. (neuter → es)
Why is there a comma after sagt?

Because Die Verkäuferin sagt, ... is a main clause followed by a subordinate clause (here: an indirect-speech clause). German uses a comma to separate those clauses:

  • Main clause: Die Verkäuferin sagt
  • Subordinate/embedded clause: es sei wirklich abgelaufen

This comma is mandatory in standard German.

Why is the word order ..., es sei ... and not ..., sei es ...?

In an embedded clause introduced after a comma (reported speech without dass), German still uses subordinate clause word order, meaning the conjugated verb typically comes later than in a normal main clause.

Compare:

  • Main clause (verb 2nd): Es ist wirklich abgelaufen.
  • Indirect clause: ..., es sei wirklich abgelaufen.

Sei es ... would be a different construction (often sounding like a formula or inversion) and isn’t the normal way to report speech here.

Could you also say Die Verkäuferin sagt, dass es wirklich abgelaufen ist?

Yes. That’s another very common option. Differences:

  • ..., dass es wirklich abgelaufen ist: very common in everyday speech, neutral
  • ..., es sei wirklich abgelaufen: more formal/reporting style, highlights indirect speech

Both can mean the same thing in practice.

What does wirklich add in this sentence?

Wirklich means really / actually / genuinely. It can:

  • emphasize certainty: it really is expired
  • imply confirmation after checking: it turns out it’s expired

So it strengthens the statement abgelaufen.

Why does the second part say und entschuldigt sich—why isn’t sie repeated?

German often omits repeating the subject when two verbs share the same subject in a coordinated structure:

  • Die Verkäuferin sagt ..., und (sie) entschuldigt sich freundlich.

It’s understood that die Verkäuferin is still the subject of entschuldigt sich.

What does sich entschuldigen mean, and why is it reflexive?

Sich entschuldigen is a reflexive verb meaning to apologize.

  • Sie entschuldigt sich. = She apologizes.

Literally it looks like to excuse oneself, which is why German uses the reflexive pronoun sich (3rd person).

Common patterns:

  • sich bei jemandem entschuldigen = apologize to someone
  • sich für etwas entschuldigen = apologize for something
Why is freundlich not ending in -e (like an adjective)?

Here freundlich is used as an adverb, describing how she apologizes: in a friendly way.

  • Adjective (describing a noun): eine freundliche Verkäuferin
  • Adverb (describing a verb): Sie entschuldigt sich freundlich.

In German, adverbs often look identical to the base adjective form (no extra ending).

What tense is sagt and entschuldigt sich? Why present tense?

Both are present tense. German frequently uses the present tense for:

  • current actions (she says... and apologizes...), or
  • narrative present (making a story feel immediate)

If you wanted to place it clearly in the past, you could say:

  • Die Verkäuferin sagte ..., und entschuldigte sich freundlich.