Questions & Answers about Der Makler sagt, die Warmmiete sei noch normal, obwohl die Kaltmiete im letzten Jahr niedriger gewesen sei.
Why does the sentence use sei instead of ist?
Sei is Konjunktiv I of sein. German often uses Konjunktiv I for reported speech.
So:
- Der Makler sagt, die Warmmiete ist noch normal. = The agent says the warm rent is still normal.
- Der Makler sagt, die Warmmiete sei noch normal. = The agent says the warm rent is still normal, but with a more formal or distanced reported-speech style.
Using sei shows that the sentence is reporting what the agent claims, without fully presenting it as the speaker’s own fact.
What is Konjunktiv I, and why is it used twice here?
Konjunktiv I is the German mood mainly used for indirect speech.
In this sentence, both clauses are part of what the real-estate agent is supposedly saying:
- die Warmmiete sei noch normal
- obwohl die Kaltmiete im letzten Jahr niedriger gewesen sei
Because both ideas belong to the agent’s reported statement, German keeps the whole report in Konjunktiv I.
This is especially common in formal written German, journalism, and careful reporting.
Why is it gewesen sei instead of war?
Gewesen sei is the perfect form of Konjunktiv I of sein. It is used here because the lower cold rent happened before the time of the main claim.
Compare:
- sie sei niedriger = it is said to be lower
- sie sei niedriger gewesen = it is said to have been lower
So gewesen sei reports a past state in indirect speech.
A direct version might be:
- Die Kaltmiete ist im letzten Jahr niedriger gewesen.
The indirect version becomes:
- ... die Kaltmiete im letzten Jahr niedriger gewesen sei.
Why is the verb at the end in the obwohl clause?
Because obwohl is a subordinating conjunction. In German, subordinating conjunctions send the conjugated verb to the end of the clause.
So:
- obwohl die Kaltmiete im letzten Jahr niedriger gewesen sei
The same happens with words like:
- weil
- dass
- wenn
- obwohl
This is a basic German word-order rule for subordinate clauses.
What is the difference between Warmmiete and Kaltmiete?
These are important housing terms in German:
- Kaltmiete = the basic rent, without extra heating costs and usually without some other additional charges
- Warmmiete = the total rent including heating and certain additional costs
So the sentence says that the agent claims the overall monthly rent is still normal, even though the basic rent was lower last year.
What does noch mean in noch normal?
Here noch means something like still.
So:
- noch normal = still normal
It suggests that the price may be approaching the limit of what is considered normal, but according to the agent it has not crossed that limit yet.
This gives the sentence a slightly evaluative tone:
- It may be high, but supposedly still acceptable.
Why does the sentence say im letzten Jahr instead of just letztes Jahr?
Both are possible in many contexts, but they are used a little differently.
- letztes Jahr = last year
- im letzten Jahr = in the last year / in the previous year
In this sentence, im letzten Jahr sounds a bit more formal and fits well with the more formal style created by Konjunktiv I.
Also, im is short for in dem.
Why are there commas after sagt and before obwohl?
German uses commas to separate clauses more consistently than English.
Here:
Der Makler sagt, ...
The comma separates the main clause from the reported clause...., obwohl ...
The comma introduces the subordinate clause with obwohl.
So both commas are required by normal German punctuation rules.
Could this sentence also use dass?
Yes. You could say:
- Der Makler sagt, dass die Warmmiete noch normal sei, obwohl die Kaltmiete im letzten Jahr niedriger gewesen sei.
That is also correct.
Without dass, German often goes straight into the reported clause after verbs like sagen. Both patterns are common:
- Er sagt, er sei müde.
- Er sagt, dass er müde sei.
The version without dass can sound a little more direct or streamlined.
Why is it die Warmmiete and die Kaltmiete? What case are they in?
Both nouns are feminine singular, so their nominative form is die:
- die Warmmiete
- die Kaltmiete
In both clauses, they are the subjects:
- die Warmmiete sei ...
- die Kaltmiete ... gewesen sei
That is why you see die, not der or den.
What does niedriger mean grammatically here?
Niedriger is the comparative form of niedrig:
- niedrig = low
- niedriger = lower
In the sentence, it is used predicatively with sein:
- die Kaltmiete ... niedriger gewesen sei = the cold rent had been lower
German often uses comparatives this way without explicitly saying than before, if the comparison is clear from context.
Does using Konjunktiv I mean the speaker doubts the real-estate agent?
Not necessarily. The main idea is distance, not automatically doubt.
Konjunktiv I means:
- this is what someone says
- the speaker is reporting it
- the speaker is not fully taking responsibility for it as a fact
Depending on context, this can feel:
- neutral
- careful
- skeptical
- journalistic
So it does not always mean I don’t believe this, but it often leaves that possibility open.
Would normal spoken German really use sei and gewesen sei here?
Usually not in everyday conversation. In spoken German, many people would use indicative instead:
- Der Makler sagt, die Warmmiete ist noch normal, obwohl die Kaltmiete im letzten Jahr niedriger war.
That sounds more natural in casual speech.
The original sentence sounds more like:
- formal written German
- journalism
- reported statements
- careful academic or official style
So the sentence is absolutely correct, but stylistically more formal than everyday conversation.
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