Subjunctive I

Subjunctive I is mainly used in reported speech, especially in news reports and formal texts.

Take a look

Der Minister sagte, die Lage sei ernst.The minister said the situation was serious.
Die Zeitung berichtet, der Präsident reise morgen ab.The newspaper reports that the president is leaving tomorrow.
Man nehme 200g Mehl und 3 Eier.Take 200g of flour and 3 eggs.
Er sagte, sie hätten keine Zeit.He said they had no time.

The rule

Subjunctive I is mainly used in reported speech, especially in news reports and formal texts. It is formed from the infinitive stem: stem + -e, -est, -e, -en, -et, -en. When the form is identical to the indicative, subjunctive II is used instead. Subjunctive I is formed from the infinitive stem: kommen → komm-e, komm-est, komm-e. It is used in reported speech in news reports and formal texts. When subjunctive I = indicative (e.g. 1st/3rd person plural), subjunctive II is used: sie kommen → sie kämen. Subjunctive I of 'sein' is special: sei, seist/seiest, sei, seien, seiet, seien. In recipes and instructions, subjunctive I is used as an instruction: Man nehme zwei Eier.

The forms

Subjunctive I (Konjunktiv I)

Person	sein	haben	kommen
ich	sei	habe → hätte	komme → käme
du	seist	habest	kommest
er / sie / es	sei	habe	komme
wir	seien	haben → hätten	kommen → kämen
ihr	seiet	habet	kommet
sie / Sie	seien	haben → hätten	kommen → kämen

Quick check

haben (he)
Form subjunctive I.
Answer
habe — Stem hab- + -e
Die Sprecherin sagte, die Verhandlungen ___ gut. (to run)
Insert subjunctive I.
Answer
liefen — sie laufen = indicative → subjunctive II: liefen
Der Arzt sagte, der Patient ___ mehr Wasser trinken. (should)
Choose the correct form.
1. soll
2. solle
3. sollte
4. sollten
Answer
solle — Subjunctive I: er solle
Er sagte, er haben keine Zeit.
Correct the mistake.
Answer
Er sagte, er habe keine Zeit. — Subjunctive I: er habe (not haben)
Die Nachricht besagt, der Präsident ___ morgen nach Berlin. (to travel)
Insert subjunctive I.
Answer
reise — Subjunctive I: er reise
Er berichtet, die Studenten ___ fleißig. (to work, plural)
Why subjunctive II instead of I?
1. arbeiten
2. arbeiteten
3. arbeite
Answer
arbeiteten — sie arbeiten (subj. I = indicative) → subjunctive II: arbeiteten
sein (we)
Form subjunctive I.
Answer
seien — sein: wir seien

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BeforeVerbs with prepositions AfterNominalization

Verbs

Sein and haben A1Why is it “ich bin” but “er ist”?→Separable verbs A1Why is “auf” at the end?→Können, müssen and wollen A2Why does “sein” appear after “muss”?→Reflexive verbs A2Why is mich in “Ich freue mich auf das Wochenende”?→Passive voice B1The passive voice is used when the action is more important than who performs it.→Subjunctive II B1Subjunctive II expresses unreal situations, wishes, polite requests, and hypothetical conditions.→

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